Earthquake Commission (EQC)

• founded 1944

• funded by levy on fire insurance

• covers house damage up to NZ $100,000 (£50,000), plus contents up to NZ $20,000(£10,000), and land damage under house

• more than 100,000 Christchurch claims from 4 September event (including more than 2000 uninhabitable houses)

Aftershocks during September / October

www.geonet.org.nz/resources/earthquake/recent-regional-seismicity/shallow-seismicity.html

Aftershocks during November/December

www.geonet.org.nz/resources/earthquake/recent-regional-seismicity/shallow-seismicity.html

Press, 5 March 2011

Boxing Day aftershock sequence (24 hrs recorded at McQueen’s Valley, ~ 30 km SE of Christchurch)

www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/drums/mqz-drum.html

A largely linear pattern to the Boxing Day aftershocks - pointed to a fault running through the City (and in particular under the CBD, represented here by the black square)

Press, 27 December 2010

22 February 2011 12.51am NZT

Magnitude 6.3

Depth 5km

Epicentre around 5km southeast of Christchurch

Human toll: 181 deaths (1 unaccounted for)

Estimated financial cost: approx. NZ $15 billion

The Star, 25 February 2011

Port Hills fault - major aftershocks 22-24 Feb 2011

USGS map of exposure to shaking, reproduced in New Zealand Historic Places Trust, Kia Kaha Canterbury

Maximum vertical acceleration recorded at Heathcote (about 1km from epicentre) ~ 2.2g ( a measured world record !)

J Berrill, ‘Some Aspects of the M 6.3 February 22nd Earthquake’(reproduced in the Press,24 March 2011)

Reasons for vertical shaking intensity:1) closeness of fault 3) focusing by Port Hills towards city2) steep angle (65%) of fault 4) amplification by gravel layers

The Star, 25 February 2011

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Maritime Museum, Lyttelton -photo V Wood; Lancaster Park -photo Greg Bowker, APN/The Star, Earthquake 6.3

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/christchurch-earthquake-photos/news/image.cfm?c_id=1503036&gallery_id=116929#7381709

Three before & after images of Gothic Christchurch

Christchurch Cathedral

(accessed 10 June 2011)

Durham Street Methodist Church

Canterbury Provincial Chambers

Photos / Flickr user Kate's Photo Diary , Simon Baker

Churches not exposed to 1g+ vertical acceleration (e.g. St Peter’sat Riccarton) suffer much less damage- photo V Wood