SEISMIC TRACE

New Zealand sits on the so-called “Ring of Fire”, on the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, and experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year. It averages at least one a day that is magnitude 4.0 or stronger. (abs-cbn news)

Christchurch was “inevitably going to be brought to its knees” by an earthquake because of the nature of the ground it stands on, a senior scientist says. Christchurch was built on a plain comprising gravels, silts and peats, so it was “very unconsolidated”. It was also low-lying but had a high water table.(ODT)

The gravel deposits that made the Canterbury Plains also made the September 4 earthquake more destructive than it might otherwise have been. The gravel transmits energy, making the ground shake strongly far from the center of the quake. It is as if the Canterbury Plains were made of gelatin.

The gravel and sand soil of the alluvial plain is also very prone to liquefaction, meaning that the soil acts like a liquid during the quake. The shaking re-arranges the gravel, compressing it. The compression causes the surface to sink. Water in the soil is pushed out by the compression, creating fountains and mud and sand volcanoes. (NASA)

Isn’t scary? After work I rode via bus, before I reached my destination, a quake attacked. I was like wondering why was the bus shaking. I thought maybe the driver’s fault. But then I felt that it was different. I stared at the window and saw the traffic lights were like shaking as well. Every single person in the bus were static. I was terrified.

You know what I’m actually thinking for the past few hours, how can freaking get enough money to avail a plane ticket going anywhere else??? I’m serious. Though I also think of other alternatives coz if I go home, I will start from scratch. Yes, that’s should be the least of my concern but I can’t help but wonder. Don’t want to risk my safety.. I wanna live longer. LOL. I might sounds stupid but believe me, this disaster made me realize how unpredictable life is..you never know…