After a relatively quiet few weeks, Christchurch people were woken in the early hours of Saturday morning, 20th August, by a 4.2 aftershock. It was located in the water near Little Port Cooper at a depth of 8 kilometers and released 33 tonnes of energy.
Christchurch People Respond to 4.2 Aftershock
The 4.2 aftershock woke many people in the Christchurch area and judging by its location was related to the February 22nd 2011 earthquake. It was centred approximately 14 kilometers from Cathedral Square. Within minutes, people were online waiting to hear how strong the shake had been. The following comments were seen on Facebook:
- How can my husband go back to sleep after that one??? Yikes! That was a good rattle and shake here!
- Let me sleep....! Anyone else feel that - was big here in Parklands.
- Pretty big in Sumner!!! Everyone has their lights all on!
- Was a goodie here in phillipstown. Rattled for ages! No sleep for me :(
The aftershock was originally recorded as a 4.6, but Geonet downgraded it to a 4.2 later in the day.
Geonet predictions for August 13th to September 12th estimate the possibility of aftershocks in the range of 4.0 to 4.9 to be one to eight with an expected average of four. They also state the possibility of a 5.0 to 5.9 aftershock in the same time period to be zero to two with an average of less than one.
Demolitions Continue in Christchurch
While aftershocks have decreased in frequency and intensity, the demolition process in Christchurch has stepped up with 78 demolition crews currently working in the red zone. A Christchurch resident remarked, “Every time I go past town, there are more gaps where buildings have been pulled down. We won’t recognize the city when we’re finally allowed back in.”
Stuff.co.nz reported on the 19th August 2011 that the Crowne Plaza Hotel has been listed for demolition. “The owners of the Crowne Plaza Hotel yesterday confirmed the building, badly damaged in the February 22 earthquake, would come down leaving uncertain futures for its 160 staff. IHG, which owns the hotel, said the Crowne Plaza would not be rebuilt, mainly because of rising construction costs resulting from changes to the Christchurch building codes.”
The closure of the city center and upcoming demolition of several hotels has meant a loss of about 3500 beds for visitors to Christchurch. It is not expected that all of these will be replaced in the rebuild.
Debbie Roome - Debbie Roome is an award-winning freelance writer, journalist and novelist with over 25 years experience.
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