Paulr and Pierre the shy.

[Kiwidave]

7.8 is rather a big quake, isn't it ?......Sounds dreadful.

It's fairly substantial. It's a logarythmic scale, so a 7.0 is 10 times worse than a 6.0, and 100 times worse than a 5.0.

The one that messed up Christchurch in 2011 was 6.3.

A quake's effects are also based on how deep it is, and it's type (up-and-down or side-to-side). That's pretty much exhausted my knowledge of earthquakes though

[paulr]

At 15km the main one was fairly shallow

The seismologists are now saying it was in fact two quakes at almost the same time very close together

About 20 after shocks of 5.0 or greater so far, including a 6.2 and a 6.3

[Techno]

Good to hear Ian's OK too. 

News here has just reported another 'single' shock.....Though from what Paul has put, it was no more powerful than the aftershocks.
(Or maybe one of those, was what the radio was talking about ?)

Where are you, Dave ?......You did move back 'home', didn't you ?......Or is my memory playing tricks on me ?

Keep safe guys !

Cheers - Phil

[pierre the shy]

Aftershocks are continuing to rattle us all day...been over 200 so far, most are much smaller than the main event, which is now thought to have actually been two quakes very close together.

Looks like back to work tomorrow for me. Its going to take a major effort to clean up this quake, a lot of road and rail infrastructure damage down south and here in Wellington.

One of the worst things I have heard today was that people in low lying areas of Christchurch evacuated to higher ground when the tsunami warnings went off. When they returned home, after the all clear was given, they found 19 houses had been completely stripped of electronics and anything else of value by looters.....B******s     

[Techno]

One of the worst things I have heard today was that people in low lying areas of Christchurch evacuated to higher ground when the tsunami warnings went off. When they returned home, after the all clear was given, they found 19 houses had been completely stripped of electronics and anything else of value by looters.....B******s     

THE BLANKING SCUM !!

So hope the police catch them, and they get the book thrown at them ! 
No doubt the insurance companies will try and wriggle out of paying out, because the houses were all unoccupied.
That would be one thing that would cheer me up........ If that wasn't the case. (Fingers crossed !)

Cheers - Phil

[Steve J]

Glad to hear everyone is ok. As for the looters.....

[paulr]

Looks like my work building will be having 'checks' until probably Friday, so I get to work from home  

Phil, I'm pretty sure KiwiDave is in Auckland, over 600km away, nearer to Sandinista than to Pierre & I

My son is back home and his place was not one of the 19 looted

You really have to wonder about some people

Just had a couple of strong after shocks in the last 10 minutes; 5.6 and 5.8
I moved into a door way for the bigger one

Rain and winds rising to gale force coming in now, just what they don't need

[Kiwidave]

Phil, I'm in Auckland, so suitably far away to be unaffected by the drama.

As for the looters, they should be shot like the rabid dogs that they are....

[Sandinista]

I was talking to a work colleague today, her son was due to move back north today after finishing college near where the earthquake was. I can't remember the name of the town (getting old, memory going...) anyway, she was worried as he wasn't answering her calls. She eventually gets a call back from him mid morning, he slept through it, aided by beer - the students friend.
Apparently he deserves his hangover  

Cheers
Ian

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Interesting graphic my mate just posted.
https://www.facebook.com/michael.cowie/posts/10157739102590357?ref=notif&notif_t=close_friend_activity&notif_id=1479144076532480

[Leon]

Good to hear everyone's safe and well, we've been getting updates from my brother-in-law and family, who found themselves standing outside in the garden in the early hours of the morning until it calmed down!

[paulr]

What part of the country are brother-in-law and family in Leon?

[fsn]

I have an Uncle living in New Zealand. After the earthquake he is reported to be in Shetland. 

[Techno]

I've got oodles of distant relatives in NZ.
Sadly, it's a part of the family tree I know next to nothing about, apart from one man.

(Paul knows who that is.)

Cheers - Phil

[Leon]

What part of the country are brother-in-law and family in Leon?

They're in New Plymouth, with the nephew up at university in Waikato.