Oh man. My prayers with the people of Christchurch. We have any Kiwis on the boards?
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65 people confirmed dead and another 200 missing. City has experienced considerable damage and settling of the strata on which it sits resulting in Liqefecation (Groundwater and mud have vibrated to the surface as the strata collapsed), What looks like a sinkhole has formed in the street (marked by a huge muddy whirlpool).
THere is no contact yet with the community ten kilometres from christchurch where the epicentre of the quake happened.
They have issued emergency numbers on bullitens for anyone worried about family.
65 people confirmed dead and another 200 missing. City has experienced considerable damage and settling of the strata on which it sits resulting in Liqefecation (Groundwater and mud have vibrated to the surface as the strata collapsed), What looks like a sinkhole has formed in the street (marked by a huge muddy whirlpool).
THere is no contact yet with the community ten kilometres from christchurch where the epicentre of the quake happened.
They have issued emergency numbers on bullitens for anyone worried about family.
It's a university town and the first semester started this week.
The university is outside the city centre but still...I'm waiting to see if my nephew, who is at Lincoln University, was affected.
To make matters worse the aftershocks from the September earthquake had finally settled down, life slowing getting back to normal, the rebuild beginning and now this.
Tragic news, my thoughts and best wishes go out to all the Kiwis.
Regards
The 8th Dwarf.
I was there just 3 weeks ago, the tower next to christchurch cathedral is now completely gone, but when I was there I climbed it.
Strange thing is, the damage from the previous 7+ quake was minimal and this 6.3 one just completely ruined everything!
I am so sorry to hear of this natural disaster striking New Zealand, a beautiful land I always wanted to visit. My thoughts are with all those suffering right now.
I was there just 3 weeks ago, the tower next to christchurch cathedral is now completely gone, but when I was there I climbed it.
Strange thing is, the damage from the previous 7+ quake was minimal and this 6.3 one just completely ruined everything!
A couple of things to note there, the previous one was ~40km away, and 11km deep, this one was only 10km, and 6km deep.
It's also been reported that the ground acceleration in the September quake was .8G, where as the latest one was 1G. Not being a geologist/geophysicist I don't know why there'd be a difference in the acceleration.
My personal suspicion is those two facts (closer, and faster acceleration) coupled with instability caused by Septembers 'quake (both buildings and ground) set the city up for more damage this time round (again, not my field of expertise so I could be way off there.)
And of course here I am, in Wellington, sitting pretty much right on top of a fault that is due to go sometime in the next 50-100 years IIRC.
So awful. The first thing I thought of when hearing the report was my Paizo friends in NZ.
Liquefaction is a terrifying thing when it occurs. The ground becomes essentially quicksand and whatever was resting on top of it just crumbles unless properly supported either with piers or properly engineered fill and other structurally sound precautions.
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Liquefaction is a terrifying thing when it occurs. The ground becomes essentially quicksand and whatever was resting on top of it just crumbles unless properly supported either with piers or properly engineered fill and other structurally sound precautions.
SCIENCE STUFF:
Grand Chancelor Hotel has been evacuated because it began sinking and has settled into a lean against the building next to it.Whales Beached themselves off Wellington in response to the Siesmic noise of the Quake.
Roads out along the coast have been cut due to landslides.
This may all add up to a time when CHRISTCHURCH is no longer considered a sustainable City Site because it sits on a faultline that is rapidly becomming apparent from the geological damage. There are huge surface cracks (possibly chimneying), sinkholes, and what at this time looks like block separation. That implies more than earthquake - thats subsidence and cave-in.
SOCIAL ORDER STUFF:
They are calling off search and rescue because it isnt safe to continue. Civilians attempting to search will face criminal charges and arrest if they attempt to enter the city to search (and the police they bought in to cordon off the region are not being polite or sympathetic - its an episode of COPS out there).
I was there just 3 weeks ago, the tower next to christchurch cathedral is now completely gone, but when I was there I climbed it.
Strange thing is, the damage from the previous 7+ quake was minimal and this 6.3 one just completely ruined everything!
A couple of things to note there, the previous one was ~40km away, and 11km deep, this one was only 10km, and 6km deep.
It's also been reported that the ground acceleration in the September quake was .8G, where as the latest one was 1G. Not being a geologist/geophysicist I don't know why there'd be a difference in the acceleration.
My personal suspicion is those two facts (closer, and faster acceleration) coupled with instability caused by Septembers 'quake (both buildings and ground) set the city up for more damage this time round (again, not my field of expertise so I could be way off there.)
That could do it. Didn't know the particulars regarding origin and location of the quake.
Is Christchurch sustainable? Don't know, they had 4000+ quakes between the 7.1 and 6.3 one so I am thinking that the faultline is not quite done.....
A few. Hill Giant (David Shwartz) amongst others I believe.
Hope all are ok.
Has anybody heard from Hill Giant? Other Paizoan Kiwis?
I talked to Hill Giant last night. He's cool.
Wonderful news!
Thanks, Adam.
I talked to Hill Giant last night. He's cool.
Excellent. Glad to hear he is safe.