Geoscience as a component of response and recovery from the Canterbury earthquake sequence of 2010-2011

Abstract

The Canterbury earthquake sequence of 2010-2011 is the most significantly impacting event in New Zealand since World War II, consuming >15% of New Zealand's GDP. In Canterbury, geoscience information has contributed significantly to civil defence response management and more recently to the recovery effort coordinated through the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) and local authorities in Canterbury. The earthquakes have resulted in major social, community, education and economic disruption, and created considerable uncertainty in relation to the feasibility of land remediation in liquefaction-damaged areas. Analysis of voluminous geoscience, engineering and social science data has and will continue to underpin decisions on the appropriate time to begin infrastructure, residential and commercial rebuild and on whether building codes are appropriate to protect society from rare but potentially catastrophic events. © 2012 The Royal Society of New Z.