Macroseismic intensity assessment for the M6.2 2011 Christchurch earthquake

Abstract

We undertake a Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) survey of building damage arising from the M6.2 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The survey is focused close to the strong motion accelerograph stations of Christchurch city in an effort to: (1) capture data describing the highest intensity levels produced y the earthquake, and; (2) further constrain the MMI-Peak Ground Velocity (PgV) Ground Motion Intensity Conversion Equation (GMICE) for New Zealand, which was developed prior to the Christchurch earthquake (Gerstenberger et al. 2007). The inability of the existing New Zealand MMi scale to assign MMI levels based on damage to modern building types and associated vulnerability classes requires us to apply the newly-developed Global Earthquake Model (GEM) International Macroscopic Scale (IMS) to our survey data (globalquakemodel.org).