Seismic shift - Earthquake Album

This post is dedicated to the people of Christchurch and to all those who lost their homes and livelihoods.  It's two weeks since the quake and I gather from the geonet map that the aftershocks are still going on - 720 at the latest count.   It was a terrifying experience and I no longer trust the firm ground I'm standing on - because I know it can move.   To mark the two week anniversary I thought I'd post some of the photographs that really sum up the power of the quake.  Not all of them are mine - some came from an image sharing site set up by The Press in Canterbury.

The clock stopped.

The city centre

Al fresco dining

Street damage

The railway used to be straight

Fault through a field

Through the park

Through the road

Liquifaction

Landslides in the hills

A historic building lost

This may be restored

rubble

The city is now open for business again, though many areas are still cordoned off.  A brilliant effort by everyone involved.   Now residents of New Zealand are worrying about the cost  - which may run into billions - and what it will mean for their fragile economy.  I worry that a lot of the city's character will be lost - most of the damaged buildings were twenties and thirties brick-built and they'll be replaced by modern constructions built to earthquake specs but without the character of the originals.