New Zealand: Strong 5.3 Aftershock Follows Christchurch Earthquake 2011
Pastor Dale Morgan
New Zealand: Strong 5.3 Aftershock Follows Christchurch Earthquake 2011
Debbie Roome
At 3:04am on the 10th May 2011, Christchurch residents awoke to find their city shaking again. The aftershock measured 5.3 on the Richter scale.
Weary Cantabrians were awoken by a large aftershock that caused widespread alarm and many reports of racing hearts and fears that it was another big one. Canterbury Quake Live reported within minutes that the aftershock had been the eight equal largest one since the September 4th, 2010 earthquake and the fourth largest since the February 22nd quake.
Facts about the 5.3 Aftershock in Christchurch
The 5.3 aftershock on the morning of the 10th May 2011 registered as a 6 on the Mercalli scale. This means that the shake was, ‘Felt by everyone. Difficult to stand. Some heavy furniture moved, some plaster falls. Chimneys may be slightly damaged.’ The aftershock was centered in Rolleston at a depth of 14 kilometers and released one kiloton of energy. Its location means it was related to the 7.1 earthquake on the 4th September 2010.
Christchurch Residents Turn to Facebook after 5.3 Aftershock
With the majority of the city being woken by the aftershock, people were on Facebook within minutes. The following comments revealed how the shake had been felt and also the large area it had affected: ‘Felt it in Bryndwr...house rattled and shook for quite a while. I was about to go to bed...was up because I couldn't sleep...now I am really awake....everyone else is snoring!..except the cat..she's sticking with me...hope everyone is okay! 5.3. That was seriously unpleasant to wake up from a deep sleep swearing and thinking the house is gonna cave in (in my half-asleep state of not being able to analyse the shaking) yet not be awake enough to get up and go for cover. Can’t believe how scary that was. How on earth did we cope on Feb 22? In Forest Park - Parklands - Was sharp, severe shaking - & so long rolling to finish off. Now have 3 trucks working on the sewer pipes outside. Good morning Tuesday. 3 kids in tears and they need to be at school at 6.45am (to go to stage challenge) not looking great.’
Other comments recorded that the shake had been felt as far south as Timaru and Dunedin and across on the west coast in Greymouth. In Christchurch it was felt as a violent shaking that continued for quite a while, knocked things over and made a loud noise. Homes and buildings rocked and pets were frightened. The early morning news report on TV3 stated that police had immediately been deployed to check buildings but no major damage had been reported.