February 2011 Christchurch earthquake
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| Date | 22 February 2011, 12:51 pm NZDT |
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| Magnitude | 6.3 ML |
| Depth | 5 km (3.1 mi) |
| Epicenter |
43°35′00″S 172°42′04″E / 43.5834°S 172.7012°ECoordinates: 43°35′00″S 172°42′04″E / 43.5834°S 172.7012°E near Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand |
| Areas affected | New Zealand |
| Max. intensity | MM IX – Violent |
| Peak acceleration | 1.88g (city); 2.2g (epicentre) |
| Tsunami | 3.5 m (11 ft) tsunami waves in Tasman Lake, following quake-triggered glacier calving from Tasman Glacier |
| Landslides | Sumner and Redcliffs |
| Casualties | 185 deaths 1500–2000 injuries, 164 serious |
An earthquake occurred in Christchurch on 22 February 2011 at 12:51 p.m. local time (23:51 21 February UTC) and registered 6.3 on the Richter scale. The earthquake struck the Canterbury Region in New Zealand's South Island and was centred 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) west of the port town of Lyttelton, and 10 kilometres (6 mi) south-east of the centre of Christchurch, at the time New Zealand's second-most populous city. The earthquake caused widespread damage across Christchurch, killing 185 people in the nation's fifth-deadliest natural disaster.
Christchurch's central city and eastern suburbs were badly affected, with damage to buildings and infrastructure already weakened by the magnitude 7.1 Canterbury earthquake of 4 September 2010 and its aftershocks. Significant liquefaction affected the eastern suburbs, producing around 400,000 tonnes of silt. The earthquake was felt across the South Island and parts of the lower and central North Island. While the initial quake only lasted for approximately 10 seconds, the damage was severe because of the location and shallowness of the earthquake's focus in relation to Christchurch as well as previous quake damage. Subsequent population loss saw the Christchurch main urban area fall behind the Wellington equivalent to decrease from second to third most populous area in New Zealand.
185 people from more than 20 countries died in the earthquake. Over half of the deaths occurred in the six-storey Canterbury Television (CTV) Building, which collapsed and caught fire in the earthquake. A state of local emergency was initially declared by the Mayor of Christchurch, which was superseded when the government declared a state of national emergency, which stayed in force until 30 April 2011.
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