Since the OP doesn’t really seem to be seeking a scientific explanation of the aftershocks, but rather discussing how he feels about them, this is probably better suited to MPSIMS than GQ.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
I wonder if Red Green is going to make a tour down under sometime? “The handy-man’s secret weapon - Duct Tape!”. Sorry - I like that show and couldn’t resist!
davidNZ, I feel ya. I’m in Avonside and last night’s 4.6 scared the bejeezus out of me when it went on and on. It was one of the longest ones. Having no sewerage is rough indeed, and makes me think very fondly of things like composting toilets, solar powered electricity, and becoming a survivalist of sorts.
The hard truth is that if you are planning on staying in Christchurch for the next few months there are going to be many, many more aftershocks. For me, getting prepared for the next one has been a practical way of dealing with the aftermath of September 4th. I’m stocking up on water, fuel, reinforcing bookshelves… all things that are practical and beneficial to my peace of mind! Even so, I find myself thinking a few times each day, “OK, if a massive one hits now, what would I do?”. I find tall chimneys malevolent-looking after seeing the terrible damage they inflicted on homes as they crashed down, often right through the roof into the rooms below. The irony is that many were useless anyway since we have an open fire ban to prevent air pollution. I have been wanting to hear as many earthquake stories as I can to know that I’m not alone in experiencing this baffling, humbling reminder that ultimately, we aren’t in charge.
My main concern is that the Alpine Fault could go at any time (according to the last four ruptures and the time frame between them, we are overdue) and when it goes, Christchurch can expect a similar magnitude but the shaking will go on for minutes. Dude, it will be nuts. The West Coast will be a mess. We are so lucky that this big one has woken us up to the fact that we live on one of the most tectonically active spots in the world, and we have now got rid of most of the dangerous buildings (alas, also some of the loveliest) at 4.35am when most people were at home in bed.
sandra_nz, I haven’t seen the Arts Centre yet but I heard on the news that some parts of it will be cordoned off for months to come. Cathedral Square is looking good but pockets of the city are just plain gone now that the demolition is underway. Gaps like missing teeth in rows of buildings and ominous cracks in those still standing are sad to behold.
Here are some good links I’ve come across for those interested:
This site has all the aftershock info with maps and graphs.
People’s experiences and stories.
Excellent lecture post-quake looks at the wheres, whys, hows and the future.
Cheers mate Avonside is not far from here. I totally understand what you are saying. I have started buying candles and cheap led lights, my nest move is water and lost of toilet paper radio, first aid kit and stuff like that. If i had my way I would be outta here so like you say the best thing I can do is be prepared. At the same time no matter how prepared we are it still f…ing scary, so yeah um it just sometimes too much to think about. but I am gonna make my self available to help I dont know what else to do, so if you can help or need help please private message me with details and we will chat. cheers David
some good links there! thanks! we had another good one last night, hold on the night b4 it was a 4.6 but it lasted for ages, felt alot bigger, i suppose being on the 3rd floor it would feel bigger but just seemed to go on for ages, was not very pleasant.
Yeah, these be crazy times we are living in! The McQueen’s Valley quake drum has been rather quiet the last 24 hours, and I wish it would ramp up the activity a notch. I prefer lots of small quakes releasing the fault stress than inactivity followed by a massive shake.
i understand, it is weird but it does seem to work like that, it has been quiet here for a while but at the same time they are hitting the north island now, definately scary shit.
Plenty of activity this morning, must be to make up for how quiet yesterday was. We’ve had a 4.4 and a few 3s since 9am.
My partner was in an office building and remarked that this time you could really feel the building moving as opposed to gentle tremors. At home the windows and doors were rattling up a storm! It has been a month and a half since the big one and I am still finding new cracks in the plaster and noticing the floorboards are squeakier and slightly wider apart than they used to be. Time to call the property managers and get someone qualified to check, as I think the piles under the house have moved a bit. Funny how the house was fine for the first few weeks but the continual aftershocks are now taking their toll.
We had a 5 last Wednesday afternoon and I was in the garage having a cigarette, sitting in a wicker chair. It was the first time I’d been in a bigger quake outside, with only a concrete slab under my feet. Before the shaking started, I felt a pulsing sensation in my feet, like a steady thudding which made me take pause. Then the now-familiar low roaring sound and a shuddering jolt and a rolling motion. As the shaking eased a few seconds later, the pulsing sensation briefly returned in the soles of my feet then faded out to nothing. It was one of the most peculiar experiences.
I experienced some major earthquakes in California, and I agree it can be difficult to get used to repeated aftershocks. But the one thing that REALLY bothered me was, “Is that an aftershock or a foreshock?” If you examine seismographic records, there isn’t a lot of difference.
Comforting, I’m sure. Sorry. 
Yep, you nailed it Musicat. Our foreshock was a 5-something that woke me up a few seconds before the 7.1 started. At first I couldn’t figure out why I was already awake when the quake hit, then later put two and two together. I had been dreaming I had dropped two glasses of red wine on the kitchen floor and was thinking, “God, what a mess to clean up with all the broken glass!” when I woke up and felt very peculiar. Then a huge bang and roaring noise interspersed with the crashing of bookshelves, records and DVDs hitting the floor. The shaking was so severe I had to hold on to the end of the bed just to stay upright. The first part was a sharp, vertical, up/down movement which threw a lot of people right out of their beds and then some old fashioned horizontal waves made walking damn near impossible. What a crazy morning that was. If I could do anything differently I would have stayed in bed but the mantra of being under a door had been drummed into me from an early age. Now I find out it is outdated advice…
I finished prepping our emergency supplies this morning and feel a huge relief, being as prepared as I possibly can. Thinking about it now, I’d better be at home when the next big one hits so I can access them!
better to have 1500 aftershocks then another big one. I can’t wait for the one I’m sitting over to let loose and as a country we’re sitting on a supper volcano in Yellowstone National Park.
Better a supper volcano than a breakfast one. Especially if you are a late-riser.
Mmm, volcano.
Hi David…fellow Cantabrian here…my place is at Church Corner (very near to Villa Maria)…I heard over the weekend that there were yet more aftershocks. How are things now? Should be getting back somewhere to normal right? is the Dux still one of the cheapest places in town to get a beer (their pitchers are the biggest around).
The pub where my dad worked growing up was condemned - so sad…
Another 5.0 aftershock an hour ago. Shallow and close. More damage.
My heart goes out to you southern (South Islanderian?) dopers.
We’ve donated what we can. What else can we do to help?
We just read about it on Twitter Breaking News. Everybody okay?
Hey lovely Dopers, boy, that was a terrifying experience. I honestly thought the windows were going to blow out. The noise was deafening and I could feel the house jerking and shifting. The power was cut to most of the central city business district for about ten to fifteen minutes. The phone lines were overloaded, and lots of evacuations. Hang in there david_NZ!
bengangmo, which pub was that? The Famous Grouse in Lincoln, or the Valley Inn in Heathcote? Both wonderful places with so much history. The Dux is still pulling pints with gusto, though prices have crept up in the last few years. Today’s 5.02 quake was located in Tai Tapu, so the southern suburbs would have really felt it. Riccarton Mall was evacuated with lots of stock breakages and I’m guessing the next news stories will be about more … fuck, another aftershock, keep calm… water mains and sewer lines bursting as the pipes have been under huge amounts of stress.
maggenpye and Ann Onimous, you darlings, thanks for the concern and donations, that is magnificent enough!
Stay safe and don’t forget to duck. We’ll be thinking about you all.
Neither, one of the smaller ones out towards Akaroa…Famous Grouse is closing? that would be a damn shame, was a fine pub…I need to get back and see everything…