1a: what caused the quake....geographical perspective
The earthquake in New Zealand was caused by the pressure built up by the tectonic plates. Christchurch is on the end of two tectonic plates and a fault line which wasn't known about caused pressure to build up. This led to another fault line appearing on the east coast and eventually the pressure couldn't be held and one of the plates gave way causing a devastating earthquake. This earthquake was bad as it was a shallow epicenter.
b: where - epicentre and effected areas
The epicenter of the quake was in the heart of Christchurch in a shallow area which caused mass destruction. The earlier quake which was 7.1 on the scale wasn't as bad as it wasn't a shallow earthquake. Most of the main attractions in Christchurch has been completely destroyed or need to be destroyed.
c: casualties
The current death toll is 98 people however another 200 people are still missing. Rescue experts have stated that after today anyone still missing is presumably dead.
d: major damage
The damage caused by this quake is devastating, the estimated damage bill so far is $12 billion. The main issue is that the private insures will be having a hard time as they are trying to figure out weather this quake was an aftershock of the September earthquake or it was a just another earthquake. This question will decided weather people will get insurance back or not.
e: current concerns
The current concerns associated with the earthquake is that there are still hundreds and hundreds of people missing. Most buildings which haven't been destroyed shall either collapse or have to be pulled down as the foundations of the buildings have been completely destroyed. Clean drinking water is another concern as the water treatment plants have been unable to supply water due to pipes cracking.
f: Give a paragraph about your reactions to the events.
My first reaction to this event was concern for the people of Christchurch. I have lived in New Zealand and experienced an earthquake and know how frighting it is. I have friends and cousins in Christchurch who have had their houses destroyed but luckily so far none of them have died. The mass destruction caused by the earthquake shall result in many historical buildings being torn down. The largest building in the city hasn't collapsed yet but structural engineers have said it will soon or experts shall have to demolish it. Experts are not sure if this earthquake was an aftershock of the September earthquake or whether it was just a new earthquake, the answer to this shall decided the battles between insurance company's and home-owners.
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