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Story: Historic earthquakes

Darfield earthquake

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  • Level Four:

    Generally noticed indoors as a jolt, or similar to vibration from heavy traffic; glassware and crockery rattle; liquids slightly disturbed; buildings may creak.

  • Level Five:

    Generally felt indoors and outside; most sleepers wakened and a few people alarmed; small objects displaced and broken; a few windows cracked.

  • Level Six:

    Felt by all; people and animals alarmed; difficulty in walking steadily; objects fall from shelves; unstable furniture tipped over; slight damage to some masonry buildings and weak chimneys damaged.

  • Level Seven:

    General alarm; difficulty standing; car drivers may stop; unreprced stone and brick walls cracked, and some buildings damaged; unrestrained water cylinders may move and burst; small rockfalls and landslides.

  • Level Eight:

    Alarm may approach panic; cars hard to steer; some buildings damaged, and weaker ones may collapse; small to moderate landslides; water generally disturbed.

  • Level Nine:

    Many buildings damaged and some collapse; unsecured houses move off foundations; brick veneers collapse; widespread cracking and landsliding.

IX VII VI V IV VIII WELLINGTON CHRISTCHURCH DUNEDIN  

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This magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurred near the town of Darfield in central Canterbury on 4 September 2010. The epicentre was only about 10 kilometres deep, which resulted in strong ground shaking. It was also very close (around 37 kilometres) to Christchurch – the South Island’s largest city.

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Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: GeoNet

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How to cite this page

Eileen McSaveney, Historic earthquakes – The 2010 Canterbury (Darfield) earthquake, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/31151/darfield-earthquake (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Eileen McSaveney, published 1 December 2010, updated 1 November 2017.