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September 6, 2010
Christchurch Earthquake Visualizations
[NOTE: If you are looking for information on the quake on 22-February-2011, please read this post.]
By now you've likely heard about the earthquake that struck Christchurch, New Zealand over the weekend. While there have been no deaths reported, the magnitude 7.1 earthquake has caused quite a lot of damage.
GEB reader Kelvin sent us a file that is a great visualization of the quakes, with data from the GNS Science and their GeoNet website.

You can view the data by simply downloading this KMZ file
and then clicking the [play] button in the upper-left corner. If you find any other Google Earth resources related to the New Zealand earthquake, please let a comment and let us know.
Posted by mickmel at September 6, 2010 8:32 AM
Comments
Posted by: Pete at September 6, 2010 9:19 AM
Here's another time-lapse map, a bit jerky in the animation though.
http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/
Posted by: Lanthanide at September 7, 2010 9:40 PM
Thank you, very useful visualization
Posted by: Ted at September 12, 2010 11:21 PM
I was in Christchurch just before the earthquake preaching the importance for an emergency network and Tsunami alert system. Christchurch was last destroyed in 1960 from another Chilean earthquake.
Christchurch is a beautiful city, as is all of NZ. I hope they rebound quickly.
Bobby Vassallo
http://recentearthquakes.net
Posted by: Bobby Vassallo at September 30, 2010 10:54 AM
Bobby Vassallo,absolute nonsense. Christchurch was not destroyed by a Chilean earthquake in 1960.
What do you mean "another Chilean earthquake" .the recent quake was centered directly below the city.
Where do people get their information from ? Oh,by the way,I live in Christchurch and I was here in 1960. Bye bye Bobby. More research please!
Posted by: brian drummond at December 27, 2010 2:41 PM
@Bobby - what an utterly stupid statement. How on earth would Christchurch be affected by a Chilean earthquake?
Posted by: Ryan at February 24, 2011 4:58 PM
@Bobby - what an utterly stupid statement. How on earth would Christchurch be affected by a Chilean earthquake?
Posted by: Ryan at February 24, 2011 4:59 PM
Just for the record: It is correct that Christchurch was not destroyed by an earthquake in 1960. However, in May of that year, Lyttelton did suffer damge, along with other east coast ports from the large Chilean quake. Same again in 1968 when an eight metre tsunami cross the Pacific and caused damage.
Posted by: woof at February 24, 2011 5:17 PM
Brian and Ryan, Chilean earthquakes kick off tsunamis, as they did this past year and also in 1960. Christchurch's low-lying areas suffered flooding and destruction in 1960, not from an NZ quake, but a Chilean one which threw a tsunami at Christchurch. It took a decade to get your city rebuilt, I'm told. Mainly because cost of materials went through the roof. If you live there, you should know that.
Know this. I was in Christchurch, Wellington and Dunedin consulting on Tsunami Alert Systems; networks that double as an emergency network, since phones, internet, power and all fail, generally. Christchurch had no interest, some in Wellington, and Dunedin held the only true interest.
Remember that the butterfly flapping its wings can be a threat, just like a Chilean earthquake. We are all connected.
I am very sorry for the destruction in Christchurch; a most beautiful city. The loss of life is staggering and much work needs to be done. Just like Mexico City, Christchurch is built on a riverbed. A quake over 5.0 is going to be a killer if located near the city and somewhat shallow and close to the surface. How on Earth? Now you know.
Posted by: Bobby Vassallo at February 24, 2011 7:30 PM
I felt exactly the same when I watched last weeks events unfold. Helpless. I felt very restless and even lost sleep over it. I decided that I wanted to go down and help out - so I bought a plane ticket and spent the weekend their.
I am so glad I went. What you see on the tele does not reflect what is going on at Ground Zero.
Slowly but surely as the public interest for the CBD wanes the media are going out to the suburbs where alot of suffering is happening. (I know I was their)
People just don't know what they're are going to do day to day. Christchurch has been badly beaten.
Here's how we can all help without feeling helpless.
1) Donate blood - especially plasma and platelets
2) Donate a modest sum to Red Cross.
3) Pray on there behalf.
4) Align yourself with a local movement that is helping with the earth quake.
5) Find just one person down their that you can help. You can't help everyone but you can help someone.
Posted by: Phillip Lambert at February 28, 2011 9:55 PM
Full of crap Bob. As a consultant you would think you would know the facts. Christchurch did not get destroyed by a tsunami nor was it hit by one. I think my mother would know as she lived across the road from the beach. Lol I thought a consultant would only deal in facts..More like a wannabe
Posted by: louie at March 5, 2011 3:54 PM
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It's not NZ related, but there's a new version of Google Earth released version 5.2.1.1588