M 6.8 - 56 km NW of Oxford, New Zealand

Some structural damage (VI) at Christchurch. Landslides blocked Highway 73 between Arthur's Pass and Christchurch. Felt throughout South Island and the southern part of North Island. Depth from broadband displacement seismograms. FAULT PLANE SOLUTION: P-Waves NP1:Strike=197 Dip=60 Slip=90 NP2:Strike=17 Dip=30 Slip=90 Principal Axes: (T) Plg=75 Azm=107 (P) Plg=15 Azm=287 Comment: The focal mechanism is poorly controlled and corresponds to reverse faulting. The preferred fault plane is NP2. RADIATED ENERGY No. of sta: 10 Focal mech. F Energy 7.0+1.5*10**13 Nm MOMENT TENSOR SOLUTION Dep 24 No. of sta: 22 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**19 Nm Mrr=0.90 Mtt=0.17 Mff=-1.06 Mrt=-0.47 Mrf=-0.71 Mtf=-0.14 Principal axes: (T) Val=1.28 Plg=64 Azm=144 (N) Val=0.07 Plg=16 Azm=17 (P) Val=-1.34 Plg=19 Azm=281 Best Double Couple:Mo=1.3*10**19 NP1:Strike=346 Dip=29 Slip=56 NP2:Strike=204 Dip=66 Slip=108 CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 60S,156C M.W.: 54S,118C Centroid Location: Origin Time 03:25:25.2 0.1 Lat 42.94S 0.01 Lon 171.47E 0.01 Dep 15.0 FIX Half-duration 5.5 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**19 Nm Mrr=0.71 0.01 Mtt=0.27 0.01 Mff=-0.98 0.01 Mrt=0.39 0.02 Mrf=-0.26 0.03 Mtf=-1.09 0.00 Principal Axes: (T) Val=1.29 Plg=39 Azm=31 (N) Val=0.32 Plg=51 Azm=209 (P) Val=-1.61 Plg=1 Azm=300 Best Double Couple:Mo=1.5*10**19 NP1:Strike=68 Dip=63 Slip=150 NP2:Strike=173 Dip=64 Slip=31