[yeahbut]

Ah yes, well done- I was going to link to that article, you beat me to it. Interesting stuff, eh? Those earthquakes were uncannily similar in strenth, depth and proximity to the urban area, with wildly different outcomes. Money and planning go a long way I guess.

One thing I find interesting about the Christchurch situation is that altho it was mostly old buildings that suffered the worst damage because of modern building standards and techniques, some new buildings are write-offs because of their location. Apparently the potential for liquefaction in some of the new developments was known, but planning approval was granted anyway. Structures built in such locations need massively deep piles and foundations that extend beyond the sandy substrate, and this was not required. I wonder if a few heads will be rolling on that one?

[Graeme]

I did a masters course on seismic microzoning in 1975 and tried to do a dissertation on this subject in 1976 at Canterbury University but my wish was declined. Now would be a really good time to map out the areas that are prone to liquefaction. But of course it would have been better back then. Also I would have had to persuade the Christchurch City Council to prevent building in liquefaction-prone areas. It will be easier now.

[SeaGypsy]

Glad you are ok Graeme, geez that's one for the grandkids!
Nothing like a near death experience to revitalise the senses.
My mum's b/f is an architect from Christchurch, just on their way back from Europe now. Will be interesting to see the repercussions where the code has been effective or bypassed.

[Graeme]

Glad you are ok Graeme, geez that's one for the grandkids!
Nothing like a near death experience to revitalise the senses.
My mum's b/f is an architect from Christchurch, just on their way back from Europe now. Will be interesting to see the repercussions where the code has been effective or bypassed.

Does the architect know anybody in the Council? If so, he may be able to persuade them to sponsor a microzoning study of Christchurch!!

[Graeme]

It seems that the Council was aware of liquefaction-prone sandy soils and in some cases went to court to stop developers from building on these soils but failed! Building requirements have now changed.

Christchurch earthquake: City tried in vain to stop developers

Developers built on land that could turn into murky soup after an earthquake, despite legal opposition from the local council, says the Mayor of Christchurch.

Bob Parker said that for the past 30 years his council had insisted that Land Information reports record if homes were built on sandy soil deposits and subject to liquefaction.

"In a number of cases this has resulted in court cases and on some occasions the council has lost those court cases."

The mayor said there had also been some older areas of Christchurch which had suffered liquefaction damage but were developed long before the phenomenon was known about.

nzherald

Liquefaction-prone soils should be mapped in more detail now.

[yeahbut]

^^
Well, I guess if we are going to start requiring proper consideration of potential devastation by natural processes in areas of development, NZ will be looking at a much greater area than Canterbury. Coastal development in particular is occurring in incredibly inappropriate places, basically sand dunes in the more extreme examples. Here's an interesting letter to The Listener magazine I read earlier this year and managed to track down just now:

I was managing a Land and Survey sheep and beef block between Whiritoa and Whangamata when in 1968 the storm that sunk the Wahine struck the eastern Coromandel. In the morning I found a rain-soaked farm and I could hear the surf roaring at Whiritoa a good 2km away. Whiritoa Beach then had no houses on it and was simply a dairy runoff owned by the Bjerring family.

I drove my Land Rover to the crest of the dunes at the beach and was met with an astonishing sight. The whole beach was covered with a solid blanket of yellow moving seafoam and the waves ran out to the top of the dunes. I counted the breakers that stretched 14 rows a good 1km or so into the bay, and their backwash petered out at the very tyres of my vehicle. I drove towards the shallower lagoon end of the beach and witnessed continuous 2.4m surf roaring in where we had had our beach picnics. That same lower lagoon area now has 20-30 substantial homes on it. The creeks backed up with salt water a good kilometre inland to flood adjoining flats.

Later that day I travelled to Gisborne and further east near Opotiki found the whole Waiotahi Reserve and all the flat dairy land 3-4km inland, as well as the main highway, had been inundated and flooded by the storm surge. I followed a council grader clearing the main highway of silt (2m-high mounds on either side of the whole stretch of road) from the Waiotahi garage to the beach.

The present bylaws that allow(ed) building development on these beautiful but fragile stretches of coast are signs of the sheer stupidity or ignorance of local body town planning.

If a similar storm or a decent-sized tsunami were to occur, all or most of such beach settlements would be matchwood.

There are many similar, completely avoidable disasters waiting to happen all round the country. Money and greed driven, every one.

[Graeme]

Christchurch: A Bureaucratically Buggered City

The 7.1 magnitude earthquake of 4 September 2010, with in excess of 700 aftershocks, was not unexpected. What is now referred to as the "Darfield Fault" close to the city , was however not known to experts, as explained by John McCone of the local daily newspaper The Press . Mr McCrone provides important information within this article, about the characteristics and behavior of earthquakes.


Like Kobe, the local civic administration of Christchurch collapsed, as the 1,200 local authority administrative staff were unable to enter their new $NZ113 million (originally $NZ105 million) redeveloped premises. This building is not likely to be fully reoccupied again until around 20 October. Initial estimates for repairs range from $NZ2.5 to $NZ5 million – described as “superficial” by the Council and co owner Ngai Tahu – and a "glitch" by Paul Holmes, a broadcaster and media friend of Mayor Parker.

Basil Fawlty (of the British sitcom Fawlty Towers) certainly has some competition in New Zealand. The Mayor must also be pleased with his old pals in the main stream media too, “loyally” reporting these Council failings as “superficial glitches”.

This building had originally been constructed during the early 1970’s by New Zealand Post, as the city’s Chief Post Office and multi level mail sorting centre. Being multi level, it was an inefficient mail sorting centre and recognized as obsolete from the day it was built. That was the way Government Departments behaved prior to the reforms of the 1980’s.

scoop

[Graeme]

NZ ranked third in economic survey

New Zealand ranks third in the world in a survey of economic freedom.

The country has retained the ranking behind Hong Kong and Singapore in the survey produced by the Fraser Institute in Canada.

The 2010 report is based on data from 2008, and measures the degree to which the policies and institutions of countries are supportive of economic freedom.

Business Roundtable executive director Roger Kerr says countries with freer economies do best in terms of growth and levels of income.


People in those countries who have the greatest economic freedom report a life satisfaction of 7.5 out of 10 while those in the bottom quartile report a life satisfaction of 4.7

International rankings

1. Hong Kong
2. Singapore
3. New Zealand
4. Switzerland
5. Chile
6. United States
7. Canada
8. Australia
9. Mauritius
10. United Kingdom

nzherald

[Kristen]

This isn't so surprising considering New Zealanders have good heads on their shoulders. For example I read an article about a dog that attacked a small child in the Island. Instead of putting it to sleep and making a huge issue about it, there was a simple apology and the canine was free to go. I'm surprised the U.S is still in the top ten, I don't know about you, but I would hardly coin my economical state as freedom.

[Lanthanide]

Just thought I'd throw this up there for people to discuss:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/4228359 ... -economies

"The paper, The Next Oil Shock, says that known oil reserves would last for another 25 to 32 years, but an oil ''supply crunch'' could occur in 2012 or shortly afterwards as demand rises and supplies fail to keep pace."

http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/ParlSupp ... -shock.htm

[Plantagenet]

Government agencies in Germany, New Zealand, Great Britain and other countries now all acknowledge the urgency of the peak oil issue.

What is it with the US Government that they still have their collective heads ...in the sand...when it comes to peak oil?

[Crazy_Dad]

Government agencies in Germany, New Zealand, Great Britain and other countries now all acknowledge the urgency of the peak oil issue.

What is it with the US Government that they still have their collective heads ...in the sand...when it comes to peak oil?

Maybe the elites doomsteads are not finished yet, so they are delaying the panic till the autosensing machine guns and landmines are good to go? The is still some Tuna to put on deep freeze left swimming around also. That needs to be canned up damnit!

In all seriousness, it is puzzling.

[americandream]

A 6.1 quake close to the surface and the city centre has devastated Christchurch. We are devastated around here.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/303901

[Xenophobe]

A 6.1 quake close to the surface and the city centre has devastated Christchurch. We are devastated around here.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/303901

Does New Zealand have earthquake constructions codes like, say, Japan and LA? Seems like a whole bunch of damage for a 6.X quake.

[dolanbaker]

A 6.1 quake close to the surface and the city centre has devastated Christchurch. We are devastated around here.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/303901

Does New Zealand have earthquake constructions codes like, say, Japan and LA? Seems like a whole bunch of damage for a 6.X quake.

Many of those buildings have already been weakened by last years quake, it wouldn't need a major one to bring them down.

[Ferretlover]

I am so sorry to hear that, AD.
Does NZ usually have a lot of quakes?

[americandream]

I am so sorry to hear that, AD.
Does NZ usually have a lot of quakes?

Thanks Ferretl. Yes, we do. They tend to be mild ones as a rule but Christchurch has has a bad run of strong ones recently.

[Xenophobe]

I am so sorry to hear that, AD.
Does NZ usually have a lot of quakes?

Ring of fire, front and center.

[BorisG]

Our prayers are with you. Hope there are no more earthquakes in the near future.

Down here, in Brazil, we are still reeling from the last month´s landslides and flooding. Official death toll is a touch over 900. The true count... we´d never know. There are whole villages that had been completly burried.

Please, keep us posted.

[yeahbut]

A 6.1 quake close to the surface and the city centre has devastated Christchurch. We are devastated around here.

Does New Zealand have earthquake constructions codes like, say, Japan and LA? Seems like a whole bunch of damage for a 6.X quake.

Many of those buildings have already been weakened by last years quake, it wouldn't need a major one to bring them down.

Yes, the 7.1 earthquake last year did a lot of damage. Also there are many historical buildings in Christchurch which are very vulnerable to quakes. The quake last year happened at 4 am so miraculously no one was killed. No such luck this time, they are saying 65 dead at the moment. The worst tragedy to hit our little country in modern times.