Several ‘aftershock’ earthquakes strike Christchurch, New Zealand

A series of earthquakes struck the Christchurch region of New Zealand’s South Island on June 13.According to RMS, a Magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck first, followed by a stronger, Magnitude 6.0 earthquake within an hour and a half. Two smaller, Magnitude 4-level earthquakes followed.The Magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurred at a depth of nine kilometres and at an epicentral location around 13 kilometres south-southeast of Christchurch, within 5 kilometres of the port of Lyttelton. Approximately 50,000 people in the region lost power during the earthquake, and the city’s water infrastructure has been affected. Christchurch airport was temporarily evacuated following the earthquake, as were shopping centres and office blocks through the city. The earthquakes come within four months of the Magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck the region on Feb. 21, 2011.”Emerging information from Christchurch reports a masonry collapse at the remnants of Christchurch Cathedral and fallen masonry from other buildings in the central business district (CBD),” RMS reports. “The ‘red zone’ within the CBD (as designated following February’s earthquake) is closed and is likely to remain closed for at least the next 24 hours.”The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has reported that the June 13 earthquakes are a continuing part of the earthquake sequence that initiated with the Darfield earthquake on Sept. 3, 2010.