Tag Archives: christchurch

Bent rail tracks after a New Zealand earthquake

On 4 September 2010, a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the South Island of New Zealand near Christchurch. The earthquake’s epicentre was 40 kilometres (25 mi) west of Christchurch, near the town of Darfield. Its known as the Canterbury earthquake or Darfield earthquake. The massive earthquake distorted railroad tracks that crossed the fault line near Rolleston.

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WHOI Experts Stress Lessons From Japan Earthquake

While Japan’s 8.9-magnitude earthquake and accompanying tsunami represent a devastating natural disaster for the country’s residents, scientists should also seize upon the massive temblor as an important learning tool for future quakes around the world, including the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States, according to experts from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).

WHOI geophysicist Jeff McGuire said such lessons may be particularly germane to residents of Northern California, Oregon, Washington and Vancouver–a region he said, could be subject to a similar quake/tsunami scenario. “Today’s earthquake happened on a subduction zone thrust fault where the Pacific plate subducts, or dives, under the Japanese islands,” he said. “Japan regularly has large earthquakes and tsunamis all along its east coast due to subduction. (more…)

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