Table of Contents
What were the causes of the Christchurch earthquake?
The earthquake was caused by the rupture of a 15-kilometre-long fault along the southern edge of the city, from Cashmere to the Avon–Heathcote estuary. The fault slopes southward beneath the Port Hills and did not break the surface – scientists used instrument measurements to determine its location and movement.
What fault caused the Christchurch earthquake 2011?
The fault, later named the Greendale Fault, appeared about 50 to 56 miles (80 to 90 km) southeast of the boundary between the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, and part of the fault became visible at the surface because of the earthquake. Thousands of smaller aftershocks occurred in the months that followed.
Is Christchurch on a tectonic plate?
New Zealand sits on top of the boundary between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates. The two plates slip past each other in the South Island, creating the Alpine Fault. Over time, the motion has built the Southern Alps.
How tall is the Christchurch Cathedral?
The tower was 29.5 metres high and the spire 33.5 metres – a total of 63 metres from the ground to the cross at the top. The tower housed 13 bells, the heaviest of which weighed 1.77 tonnes. The nave was about 100 feet long, and the circular stone staircase to the tower had 133 steps.
Does New Zealand get tsunamis?
New Zealand has experienced about 10 tsunamis higher than 5m since 1840. Some were caused by distant earthquakes, but most by seafloor quakes not far off the coast. A nearby coastal seafloor earthquake is the only warning people may get before a tsunami arrives.
Is New Zealand moving north?
Yep, it is doing the same thing the Pacific Plate is doing. It is moving in the direction the red arrows are pointing. (That is because it is ON the Pacific Plate.)
Where does Christchurch get its name?
The name was chosen on 27 March 1848 at the first meeting of the Canterbury Association on the suggestion of J.R. Godley, whose college at Oxford, England, was Christ Church.
How high is CHCH above sea level?
66′Christchurch / Elevation