Quake map new zealand8/10/2023 The 7.1-magnitude earthquake in September caught the locals completely off guard. ![]() Scientific American spoke with Robert Yeats, a professor emeritus of geology at Oregon State University in Corvallis, about why earthquakes are so difficult to predict and what is being done to lessen the odds of surprise temblors. Compounding these problems, Tuesday's quake hit during lunchtime when the city was buzzing with activity, whereas the earlier disaster occurred during early morning hours. ![]() Adding to Christchurch's misfortune, the aftershock struck only about four kilometers in depth below the city, whereas September's temblor originated about 10 kilometers deep. The Christchurch epicenter was only 10 kilometers outside of the city, whereas the 2010 event took place about 40 kilometers to the west, in an area that is mostly farmland. (No one died during the September quake). The latest Christchurch tremors were not as strong as the original earthquake, but they have caused considerably more damage and claimed dozens of lives. In fact, scientists did not even know there was a geologic fault there until it ruptured last year. Prior to these two seismic events, Canterbury Plains likely had not experienced an earthquake in thousands of years. New Zealanders living in the nation's second-largest city, Christchurch (population approximately 377,000) on the South Island's Canterbury Plains were hit hard Tuesday by magnitude 6.3 earthquake, an aftershock from September's magnitude 7.1 tremor.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |