New Zealand Earthquake 2016

[avonside1563]

Following Monday's earthquake on South Island and resulting aftershocks the landslides and other damage to the Eastern coastal line around Kaikoura makes the washout at Dawlish look like a walk in the park!

 

http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/kaikoura-rail-line-decimated-2016111413

[PaulRhB]

I hear there's at least one truck missing along that road and you can see huge amounts of rock so on a human level unfortunately there may be more casualties there. Stabilising those cliffs and hills and indeed the slips is a massive task.

[The Stationmaster]

Not really surprising - in the area north of Christchurch up to the north end of South Island they had over 40 earthquakes above magnitude 4.2 in the 24 hours following the big quake.  That's an awful lot of earthquakes by any measure.

[APOLLO]

My thoughts to all those affected.

 

The vid shows tremendous damage - will this railway be rebuilt or abandoned ?. I presume an inland line here is out of the question due to mountains  Is this correct ?.

 

Perhaps a sea borne train / road ferry may be a temporary answer - don't know never been to NZ.

 

Brit15

[avonside1563]

I hear there's at least one truck missing along that road and you can see huge amounts of rock so on a human level unfortunately there may be more casualties there. Stabilising those cliffs and hills and indeed the slips is a massive task.

I read earlier that the driver had been located safe, stuck between two falls.

 

My thoughts to all those affected.

 

The vid shows tremendous damage - will this railway be rebuilt or abandoned ?. I presume an inland line here is out of the question due to mountains  Is this correct ?.

 

Perhaps a sea borne train / road ferry may be a temporary answer - don't know never been to NZ.

 

Brit15

Reports that I've read are that freight will be moved from Picton by container ships for now. They will have to shift the landslips as Highway 1 runs parallel to the line all along the coast here so I imagine costs for clearance won't be down to NZRail. It's a stunning drive along the coast north from Kaikoura as I found out when I was there this time last year. We drove to Kaikoura via Hanmer Springs so went right through the area of the epicentre of the first quake to hit just after midnight Monday morning.

[Jol Wilkinson]

We traveled from Christchurch to Blenheim on this line a couple of years ago. I hope that they are able/willing to repair it as it is a great scenic ride.

 

It was a couple of years after the earthquake that caused so much damage to Christchurch. We were surprised by the apparently slow progress in rebuilding the wrecked buildings and infrastructure. One of the problems was apparently the reluctance of the Insurance Companies to pay up. Let's hope that doesn't affect those affected by this latest event.

[PaulRhB]

I read earlier that the driver had been located safe, stuck between two falls.

 

That's good, I'd heard from a couple of New Zealander's they were concerned due to the size of the slips.

 

They will have to shift the landslips as Highway 1 runs parallel to the line all along the coast here so I imagine costs for clearance won't be down to NZRail.

 

Still a hell of a lot of rock and dirt to shift in some places and it's all loose. I suspect from the curvature the rail line cuts through tunnels in places and they may well be sheared too. They had a massive quake in the Tehachapis years ago and had to dig away the hill to daylight some tunnels they were so badly damaged.

[roundhouse]

I hope at they rebuild the line as it's a stunning ride along the coast.

[DavidB-AU]

The blue line is where the track is supposed to be. The red line is where the landslide pushed it.

https://mcaspian.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/kaikoura-rail-line-2.jpg

 

Shows how strong CWR can be!

 

A lucky escape for this train crew. Note the rubble on the road. Half a minute earlier whole train could have ended up in the ocean.

http://cdn1.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/980w/public/images/methode/2016/11/14/6b87ca9c-aa40-11e6-a45e-e639c32a4ac5_1280x720.jpg

 

Cheers

David

[Bon Accord]

It'll be interesting to witness the logistical solution to all of this whilst the trunk is repaired. The old USSCo linkspan still exists in Lyttelton but hasn't been used for the best part of 40 years and will no doubt be unsuitable for modern traffic.

The quick solution is to re-establish the old "Steamer Express" service between Lyttelton and Wellington as run by the MAORI/HINEMOA/RANGATIRA and not forgetting the ill fated WAHINE. No native ships or men to do it these days alas.

[Kiwi]

Rail is not a significant part of the goods traffic equation here. Most goes by road, and for that work has already started on opening an alternative more inland route :

http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/nz-earthquake/86434823/alternative-route-between-christchurch-and-picton-established

[DavidB-AU]

A ferry service is problematic at the moment. Wellington and Picton sustained damage to the ports. Lyttelton has reopened and the line to Christchurch has been cleared for operation, but at the moment KiwiRail aren't running anything on the south island. Nelson and Blenheim are have resumed limited operations but the roads in and out are damaged. Dunedin, Bluff and Greymouth are still operating.

 

Kaikoura is completely cut off and could be for months. The only way in or out at the moment is by helicopter until HMNZS Canterbury gets there.

 

Cheers

David

[DavidB-AU]

Some more of the South Island Main Trunk showing it could have been a lot worse if this had happened during the day.

 

http://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/55/01/73/11804361/7/1024x1024.jpg

http://ww3.hdnux.com/photos/55/02/54/11807490/7/1024x1024.jpg

http://ww3.hdnux.com/photos/55/01/75/11804510/3/1024x1024.jpg

http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/55/01/70/11804179/7/1024x1024.jpg

 

EDIT: Cook Strait ferries have resumed for foot passengers only and KiwiRail is reported to be seriously looking at a Wellington to Lyttelton ferry.

 

Cheers

David

Edited November 18, 2016 by DavidB-AU

[Leander]

We've contacted friends in Blenheim and, thankfully, they're OK and their house escaped unscathed thanks to their removal previously of several rickety brick built chimneys. They wrote that "The road to Kaikoura is very badly damaged (bridges etc as well as several massive slips) and may not be open again for months – if it opens at all (i.e. an entirely new route may be needed)".

 

This may well equally apply to the rail route along the coast.

Edited November 19, 2016 by Leander

[jukebox]

If you open this map, zoom, then click on each of the blue lines, you get videos of the devastation, the scale of which is utterly gobsmacking.

 

 

http://ecan.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=47f0d9481fb24686934616bcb3098811

[Oldddudders]

Everyone I know who has visited NZ says it is a lovely and beautiful country - but I see no evidence that it is particularly rich. Devastation of this sort will take decades to overcome in whatever manner can be afforded. In the meantime, lots of individuals and communities will be struggling with basics like power and water, as well as being wholly unable to get produce and products in and out. We tend to measure human tragedy in loss of life, but an event of this scale causes widespread loss of livelihood and basic abilities to make ends meet and live remotely normal lives. Hideous times.

[jjb1970]

New Zealand has a strong economy, it tends to lie in the shadow of Australia but in its own way has been very successful. In most respects I'd happily swap the UK's economic performance over recent years for that of New Zealand.

My heart goes out to those affected but the country will recover.

[Leander]

The economy is strong but dependent to an extent on primary products, dairying and forestry in the main today, for its exports, mainly to Asian countries. China takes a lot of dairy products and much timber/logs goes to India, judging by what we observed earlier this year.

 

Services dominate in the major urban centres.

[Mike at C&M]

If you open this map, zoom, then click on each of the blue lines, you get videos of the devastation, the scale of which is utterly gobsmacking.

 

 

http://ecan.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=47f0d9481fb24686934616bcb3098811

Geology is often thought to be a long drawn out process. What this proves is that it can be the result of something that happens in the blink of an eye.

 

I am fascinated by natural disasters, and as 'jukebox' says, the scale of the various events shown on this map is beyond belief. never underestimate the power of Mother Nature.

Edited November 19, 2016 by 87029

[pH]

Everyone I know who has visited NZ says it is a lovely and beautiful country - but I see no evidence that it is particularly rich. Devastation of this sort will take decades to overcome in whatever manner can be afforded. 

 

My wife has relatives in New Zealand, around Auckland. A son of one of her cousins was supposed to be going south to Christchurch to work on rebuilding after the earthquake there in 2011. The work kept being postponed, and I don't know if he ever went. The problem was money - the devastation was so bad that there was going to be real problems in funding. They were talking about it taking decades to afford to repair the damage from that quake, and that was before this one happened. 

[Jol Wilkinson]

My wife has relatives in New Zealand, around Auckland. A son of one of her cousins was supposed to be going south to Christchurch to work on rebuilding after the earthquake there in 2011. The work kept being postponed, and I don't know if he ever went. The problem was money - the devastation was so bad that there was going to be real problems in funding. They were talking about it taking decades to afford to repair the damage from that quake, and that was before this one happened. 

We visited Christchurch in 2014, several years after the quake. Everyone had a great pride in their city and were willing to talk about its reconstruction.

 

In addition to funding for reconstruction being a problem, there were also a number of "political" issues. There was/is a strong movement for a clean sheet of paper approach to the cities architecture, quite understandable as everything need to be built to the latest building standards for earthquake regions. There seemed to be a "let's not hurry but get it right" approach from those we spoke to in at the same time who supported the "new start". Likewise there were those who wanted to reconstruct the attractive period buildings but felt they were being over ridden by the local government. Finally there were those further out from the city centre whose homes and infrastructure were damaged/destroyed who felt they were being forgotten in all the high power debates. 

[DavidB-AU]

And now there has been a 6.3 off Hawke's Bay!

[Kiwi]

And now there has been a 6.3 off Hawke's Bay!

Sure, but to quote a Hawkes Bay local just after it stopped :

"You kind of get used to them around here. It's just one of those things that happens around here. You just carry on."

On the other hand Fukushima in Japan has been hit by a 7.4 plus a tsunami just a few hours ago. So let's keep things in perspective.

 

NZ will recover from last weeks quake. Whales are already being spotted off Kaikoura again, a positive sign for the people of that area.

[Gwiwer]

NZ deals with earthquakes.  They happen rather often though not as destructively as this or the huge Christchurch event.  I would be confident they have recovery factored into their national budget and have skill and expertise to clear thre critical transport routes as soon as is safely possible.

 

As a geologist by training I take an interest in these things and have spent time studying the aerial photos.  These show the extent of displacement with, in some cases, a visible fault line crossing the image where land is somewhat higher on one side than the other.   Geological time is vast but certain major events happen suddenly and quickly.  Earthquakes are among these and along with volcanic eruptions cannot be reliably predicted.  We know only where they are likely to occur and, with measurement in place (which might or might not have been the case around Kaikoura) we can sometimes obtain a little advance warning of high stress levels which precede a quake.

 

New Zealand is riddled with active faults.  I felt a modest tremor myself when last in Auckland which didn't even merit comment among the locals.  It might have been around a 2 or 3 on the scale.  They happen all the time there.  The number of aftershocks from Kaikoura is high but this has already been determined as one of the most complex earthquake events in recent times, in effect multiple movements within a fault system rather than just a single move.

 

The devastation along the coast is very significant.  But if the rail route cannot be recovered on its old alignment then there seems to be a new one delivered by nature.  The sea bed has been lifted by quite some amount and could potentially be used for a realigned road and rail link once things become more stable.

[Gwiwer]

Two things.

 

A 5.6 quake has now been recorded on North Island apparently unrelated to the Kaikoura complex but of course more than enough to set frayed nerves jangling afresh.  A friend travelling through the area now known as Hobbiton reports being aware of it even whilst on board a moving coach.

 

This clip has surfaced illustrating the extent of earth movement around Kaikoura.  Not only a vertical uplift of several metres but a lateral displacement of many metres.  And as the clip states this all happens in a few seconds so for those unfamiliar with earthquakes I'll leave you to calculate the amount of energy released and just how violent these tremors can be.

 

https://www.facebook.com/riseupchristchurch/videos/1284584301597792/