New Zealand Earthquake Report - May 21 2011 at 7:30 am (NZST)

Magnitude 3.0, Saturday, May 21 2011 at 7:30 am (NZST), Within 5 km of Christchurch.

Quake Details

Information about this earthquake:

Reference Number	3516408 [View event in Google Maps] [View Felt Reports in Google Maps]
Universal Time	May 20 2011 at 19:30
NZ Standard Time	Saturday, May 21 2011 at 7:30 am
Latitude, Longitude	43.57°S, 172.64°E
Focal Depth	7 km
Richter magnitude	3.0
Region	Canterbury
Location	Within 5 km of Christchurch New Zealand and other areas in the Pacific Ocean passed the May 21, 6 p.m. local time unscathed, despite predictions by Harold Camping that the hour would signal the beginning of the end of the world, many seemed to breathe a public sigh of relief -- some tongue-in-cheek and others more seriously -- on Twitter and other social media forums. Although it was not the first time Oakland-based Camping, 89, forecast the apocalypse, this date marked the most attention-grabbing of his doomsday predictions. The unprecedented publicity was spurred by a worldwide $100-million campaign of caravans and billboards, financed by the sale and swap of TV and radio stations. Camping broadcast what he told viewers would be his final "Open Forum" TV and radio show Thursday night. The Times' Christopher Goffard reported that when Camping, a former engineer, wrapped up the program he's hosted for decades, he shook hands with a couple of crewmen. "I probably won't see you again," he announced. The map above shows recent seismic activity in the world, as reported by the U.S. Geological Survey on Saturday morning, shortly after midnight in Los Angeles.

Monday, February 21, 2011

New Zealand earthquake magnitude 6.3 hits Christchurch 21 Feb 2011

For the second time in five months, New Zealand's south island city of Christchurch was rocked by a major earthquake on Tuesday afternoon local time.

Initial reports from Reuters news agency indicated that there were no reports of casualties, from the magnitude 6.3 temblor.

But the New Zealand Herald is reporting casualties and major damage to downtown buildings, including the Christchurch Cathedral.

In it's live blog, the Herald reports phone lines down, water running through the streets, and several buildings with serious damage.

One blog entry says New Zealand's TV3 is reporting the Pyne Gould financial services building has collapsed. Another, unsubstantiated report claims that the cathedral has collapsed.The New Zealand Press Association reported that the TVNZ building in Christchurch had collapsed. And there's an entry that a facade of a building in downtown Christchurch has collapsed on a bus, injuring passengers. NZTV is reporting at least one fatality.

Christchurch resident Jane Smith who works in the central city told the Herald a work colleague had just returned from helping rescue efforts after a building facade had collapsed on a bus on Colombo St.
"There's people dead. He was pulling them out of a bus."
"Columbo St is completely munted."
"We can't move at the moment because the city's gridlocked."

"Obviously this earthquake has taken place at a time where people have been going about their daily business. We're doing everything we can to make sure that people are safe and are evacuating the central city," said New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, about an hour after the quake hit. After an emergency cabinet meeting scheduled for 3 p.m. local time, the prime minister is scheduled to fly to Christchurch.

The city was struck by a force 7.1 quake last September, Reuters reports, which caused serious damage and dented the national economy but it caused only minor injuries.

"The quake is significantly smaller than the previous Christchurch earthquake, however it was very shallow and might have been very close to the centre of the city," Civil Defence spokesman Vince Cholewa told the Herald

"We are still getting a picture of what has happened..."