Magnitude 6.1 - SOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND
2011 February 21 23:51:42 UTC
Earthquake Details
- This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.
| Magnitude | 6.1 |
|---|---|
| Date-Time |
|
| Location | 43.583°S, 172.680°E |
| Depth | 5.9 km (3.7 miles) set by location program |
| Region | SOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND |
| Distances | 6 km (3 miles) SSE of Christchurch, New Zealand 224 km (139 miles) SSE of Westport, New Zealand 307 km (190 miles) NE of Dunedin, New Zealand 307 km (190 miles) SSW of WELLINGTON, New Zealand |
| Location Uncertainty | Error estimate not available |
| Parameters | NST=324, Nph=324, Dmin=0 km, Rmss=0 sec, Gp= 0, M-type=teleseismic moment magnitude (Mw), Version=E |
| Source |
|
| Event ID | usb0001igm |
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Earthquake Summary
Felt Reports
At least 181 people killed, 1,500 injured and about 100,000 buildings destroyed or damaged (VIII) in the Christchurch-Lyttleton area. Landslides and liquefaction occurred in the area. Felt in much of Canterbury and as far as Invercargill and Palmerston North.
Tectonic Summary
Versión en Español
The February 21, 2011 South Island, New Zealand earthquake occurred as part of the aftershock sequence of the M 7.0 September 3, 2010 Darfield, NZ earthquake. The February 21st earthquake involved oblique-thrust faulting at the easternmost limit of previous aftershocks, and like the mainshock itself is broadly associated with regional plate boundary deformation as the Pacific and Australia plates interact in the central South Island, New Zealand.
This latest shock is significantly closer to the main population center of Christchurch, NZ, than is the September 2010 mainshock, in the vicinity of several other moderate (M 4 to 5) sized aftershocks located east of the main rupture zone of the 2010 event. There is no specific structure directly linking this event to the main fault of the 2010 mainshock, although there have been numerous aftershocks along generally east-west linear trends extending east from the end of the previous rupture. The north or north-east trends to the possible fault planes and the oblique thrust faulting mechanism as seen in the focal mechanism solution may reflect an association with similarly-trending faults previously mapped in the Port Hills region, just to the south of Christchurch.
Since the September 3, 2010 mainshock, there have been approximately 6 M>=5.0 aftershocks in the Christchurch region. The February 21st earthquake represents the largest aftershock to date, more that half a magnitude unit larger than the previous largest aftershock.
Earthquake Information for New Zealand
USGS Audio CoreCast Interview with Seismologist Rob Williams
Seismicity in the vicinity of Christchurch, New Zealand, following the September 3, 2010, M7.0, Darfield earthquake (yellow circles) and the February 21, 2011, M6.3, Christchurch earthquake (orange circles). Data from GNS Science, New Zealand.
Educational Slides for the Darfield, New Zealand Earthquake (09/03/2010) and its Aftershocks, Including the 02/21/2011 Christchurch Event (PPT version)
Earthquake Maps
Scientific & Technical Information
- Preliminary Earthquake Report
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center:
World Data Center for Seismology, Denver
