Major earthquake occurs in New-Zealand

A major earthquake of magnitude around 7.8 struck New Zealand on Sunday 13th November at 12:02 CET (local time: midnight the day after) with an epicenter located 100 km north of Christchurch, about 200 km south of Wellington. The event propagated on several faults of the South Island (thrust and strike-slip), inducing a very complex rupture that initially confused the computation models of the seismological agencies.

The shaking was severe in Christchurch and Wellington where widespread non-structural damage has been reported (falling of false ceiling, chimneys, broken windows and furniture). Liquefaction has been observed in Wellington. No fatalities have been reported so far.

The region close to the faults that were activated is only sparsely populated.

A tsunami of 3 meters has been observed on the east coast of New-Zealand where an evacuation of the costal areas had been organized.

Large aftershocks occurred after the mainshock and will continue for several weeks to months, possibly generating more damage. On average, an event of this size occurs only once a year in the world.