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Dusty
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Post by Dusty »

Normally , an earthquake in Canterbury is little more than a tremmor.

No aftershocks and only once every 10yrs or so.

So this 7.1 and dozens of 4+ and 5+ aftershocks is very alien to us.

Things are calming down now.

over 150 aftershocks in excess of 4+ . people are still nervous and needing help. Significant areas of infrastructure is patched, water on most places and sewer back to about 20%.

Several hundred portaloo monoliths gather at strategic locations . Looks like a dalek invasion....
58 Bedford House
Dusty
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Post by Dusty »

For the techys here, there are some interesting data sites available;

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

and one of my daughters geeky friends came up with this;

http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/
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Dusty
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Post by Dusty »

I found a fascinating chart here , its got the locations of the aftershock centers .
When zoomed in a fair bit on the map, many of the locations are in a strange gathering of straight lines.

http://maps.google.co.nz/maps/ms?client ... urce=embed
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rlaggren
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Post by rlaggren »

Maybe. <g>

It'd make sense kinda because the centers s/b along a fault "line". But looking at the map and the dots, it makes me think of the constellations in the night sky when I was a kid and trying to figure out how the heck anybody could make a dog or a man or a cow or whatever out of scattering of dots...


Cheers, Rufus
dburt
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Post by dburt »

Been wondering about you NZ folks, and how everyone is getting along over there. Haven't heard much follow up in the news over here in the USA after the initial reports. Pretty typical news reporting here, they would rather blather on ad nauseum about Paris Hilton's latest troubles, then report on real news around the world.
Dusty
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Post by Dusty »

Unlike our average 'quake , that gives a little jolt , then goes back to sleep. This one is still rolling on , and on , and o n ... over 560 aftershocks , many over 4+ just to keep us on our toes.
Plenty of stressed people , lost sleep , and hundreds of lost homes.

but all is not lost , despite the continuing aftershocks , the clean up is ongoing and essential services are being restored.

Until tomorrow , the weather has held up nicely and about 1000 students hooked up via facebook and arrived with wheelbarrows and shovels to assist with cleaning the liquifaction silt and get access to peoples homes.

Pretty cool really.

Lots of the nice old historic (brick) buildings are stuffed , that's a shame , but you just can't have everything , eh.

No loss of life!!
58 Bedford House
rlaggren
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Post by rlaggren »

Brick seems to be outclassed as a building material when it comes to earthquakes. Around Chicago we have thousands o beautiful brick structures (and 0 [zero] earthquakes) but in SF they are few and far. Brick is never found on the recommended building materials list there and I don't know if it's even allowed any more. A very few of the old brick buildings did get retrofitted with steel ties every 48" holding the brick walls in and huge structural steel frames inside the building; but that's not really practical either financially or legally - there's been too much publicity about the ills or brick when the earth starts shaking.

Rufus
Jones'n4chrome
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Post by Jones'n4chrome »

I always wondered if it was the straight mortar lines of brick buildings that made them weak. Like a scribed line in a piece of glass.
Around here most brick buildings fall during a quake, but the buildings using mortar with natural river rock are still standing after hundreds of years.

http://bigorangelandmarks.blogspot.com/ ... enter.html
rlaggren
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Post by rlaggren »

I bet the straight lines have something to do with it. Also, the thickness and the distance between intersecting walls (structural) which will buttress the wall and prevent it from swaying in or out. Walls w/a short distance between "buttresses", 8"+ thick and with staggered irregular joints sure should be a lot stronger. Also, one of the big issues w/buildings and earthquakes is the "facade" falling off and dropping on people, so a solid 8"+ w/no facade but just the base material showing on the outside would eliminate that problem.

But that stuff costs a whole lot more per square foot of useable inside space.


Rufus
Dusty
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UPDATE Feb 22 2011

Post by Dusty »

Another nasty quake (6.3) has hit the town.

This time it hit during the lunch hour and there is death and tragedy .
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Sharkey
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Post by Sharkey »

Oh, Dusty, sorry to hear this. I hope things are well with you and yours.
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stuartcnz
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Post by stuartcnz »

Looks like a f#$%ing mess up there.

There is a cruise ship in Lyttleton as well, so probably a lot of passengers involved too, like at the cathedral.
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Dennis The Bus Dweller
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Post by Dennis The Bus Dweller »

MLE and I are prayin for ya Dusty
Peace along the way
Dennis the bus dweller N.Y.
Dusty
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Post by Dusty »

Phones/cell network/ lines were down for a while, finally contacted my girls , they are all ok . (Phew)

No water , no power, roads seriously disrupted in places.

In town , 8.20pm, 65 confirmed dead .

Emergency services concentrating on finding people trapped in collapsed buildings.

This one's ugly.
58 Bedford House
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Dennis The Bus Dweller
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Post by Dennis The Bus Dweller »

Hey Dusty, If you know of a reliable relief org that folks can send money, food or clothing post it and I’ll put a link on my site as well.
Peace along the way
Dennis the bus dweller N.Y.
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