Following the 5.8 and 6.0 aftershocks in Christchurch on the 23rd December 2011, the city has been subjected to 24 hours of shaking. The swarm of aftershocks started with a 5.1 magnitude quake at 1:27 am on the 2nd of January 2012.
Christchurch Shaken by Swarm of Aftershocks
Many Christchurch residents were awoken by a strong 5.1 aftershock in the early hours of the 2nd January. The movement was described as, “jolting, shaking and banging. All the jars and bottles rattled and the whole house was moving”.
The 5.1 was followed by several smaller shakes before a 5.5 earthquake rocked the region at 5:45am. This was reported as felt as far south as Dunedin and as far north as Auckland. Comments on Facebook during the course of the day included the following:
- Wow... rocking and rolling for quite a while, stopped and then rolled again in Barrington area ...
- We hope you are all safe. The kiwis in England are thinking of you all.
- What a night!
- Was a sleep in too much to ask for? Far out what a rocky night! Dare I try to go back to sleep?
- Does anyone else feel like a new fault just been 'activated'? Acting like one just went with endless unsettling shaking all night then big one again.
- Power out in some parts of St Albans, not too bad in Broomfeid/Hei Hei. Not a lot of shaking but could hear the rumbling. Seems this year is going to be the same as last. Just hoping no more huge ones like Feb.
- Woke us in Timaru - just checked Geonet as figured it must be a biggie up there, hope you are all ok. I see it’s been a terrible night with a couple of over 4s and now 2 over 5s! Feeling for everyone :(
A widely felt 4.8 aftershock struck at 6:59pm and was followed by several smaller shakes before midnight. All the quakes were located under the sea to the east of the city.
What do Seismologists Say about the Aftershock Swarm
Stuff.co.nz reported on the 3rd January that Christchurch mayor Bob Parker had called for a meeting with seismologists to explain what was happening in the Christchurch area. ‘Parker said GNS scientists would meet councilors and the media on Friday to provide information about the "unusual" quake sequence.
"What we now seem to have is something which is more complex, and people are asking more and more questions around, `What is going on, what is the nature of this event and is there anything we can compare it with?' '' he said.’
While residents were tired after losing several hours sleep due to the quakes, the general feeling was positive. Power was restored to homes within a few hours and there appeared to be little physical damage from the quakes. People were out shopping and enjoying themselves amidst the shakes and although some felt the aftershocks were the last straw, others remained upbeat about the future of the city.
Debbie Roome - Debbie Roome is an award-winning freelance writer, journalist and novelist with over 25 years experience.
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