Action Sports and Natural Disaster Immobilities: Arrhythmic Experiences in Christchurch, New Zealand

Abstract

At 12.51pm on February 22, 2011, a violent 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the city of Christchurch — New Zealand’s second most populous city, and the largest city in the South Island. Centered two kilometres (1.2 miles) west of the town of Lyttleton and ten kilometres (6 miles) south east of the centre of Christchurch, the earthquake followed nearly six months after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake that caused significant damage across the Canterbury region, but no direct fatalities. Striking closer to the city centre at midday, the February 2011 earthquake killed 185 people and injured another 2164. Although lower on the moment magnitude scale (MMS, now used to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of energy released instead of the Richter scale) than the September 2010 earthquake, the intensity and violence of the ground shaking during the February 2011 quake was measured on the Modified Mercalli Scale (used to measure the intensity and effects of an earthquake rather than just energy released) to be MM IX — among the strongest ever recorded globally in an urban area (Davidson, 2011). The earthquake flattened the downtown district, and damaged or destroyed over 180,000 homes. The earthquakes severely damaged 80 per cent of the water and sewerage systems, with repairs continuing for many months. Moreover, extensive liquefaction (the conversion of soil into a fluid-like mass during an earthquake or other seismic event) caused ongoing ground movement leading to the undermining of many more foundations and the destruction of further infrastructure.