7.1 in 2010 6.2 in 2011
Interesting tidbit: The 2011 earthquake had a lower magnitude however it had 3x the wave frequency than the 2010 which made it feel much more violent.
The first one was west of Christchurch, the second was south. Different direction of the waves brought many of the already weakened buildings down.
Where I was staying was on the hill of the epicenter of the second earthquake. Couldn’t stay from fear a boulder would roll through the house during an aftershock. I remember after every aftershock running outside to make sure nothing was coming our way.
The 2011 earthquake was not long before the Japan earthquake.
I flew into Christchurch the night before the 2011 earthquake, couldn’t do anything from all the damage. Flew to Indonesia. In Indonesia woke up to the rumble of a 6+ mag earthquake off the coast of Bali and ran out of the house…
That’s when Japan was already having 7+ magnitude earthquakes. The next day was the 9 magnitude earthquake in Japan.
Incredible experience.
Sometimes a picture says it all…