photographs

Christchurch earthquake, 10 years ago

Posted on February 22, 2021 Updated on February 16, 2022

On 22 February 2011, a fatal earthquake hit Christchurch, New Zealand. One-hundred and eighty-five people were killed and the city’s CBD was destroyed. The 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit during the lunch hour and its epicenter was just 6km south of the city. Christchurch’s central city and eastern suburbs were badly affected, with damage to buildings and infrastructure already weakened by the magnitude 7.1 that had occurred less than a year earlier.

New Zealand, aerial view of landscape around Christchurch photo circa 1955 from the AGSL Photo Collections
https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital/collection/agsoceania/id/690/rec/13

“Two story buildings in the CBD were flattened and masonry in older parts of the city crumbled onto the streets. The steeple and bell tower of Christ Church Cathedral collapsed into the square, and its whole front face and beautiful rose window – the spiritual and symbolic face of Christchurch itself – teetered, and would later collapse onto the entrance portico, opening the nave to wind and weather, and the pigeons of Cathedral Square. [Australian Geographic].”

The earthquake destroyed the Christchurch Cathedral’s spire and severely damaged the structure as a whole. The Anglican Church voted to demolish the building but various groups came together to save the building.

New Zealand, ChristChurch Cathedral in Christchurch photo circa 1955 from the AGSL photo collections
https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital/collection/agsoceania/id/825/rec/1

New Zealand, street scene in front of Bank of New Zealand photo circa 1955 from the AGSL photo collections
https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital/collection/agsoceania/id/708/rec/32
Demolished in 2013.

New Zealand, Regent Theater in Christchurch photo circa 1955 from the AGSL photo collections
https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital/collection/agsoceania/id/796/rec/4 The Regent Theater opened on 16 August 1930 and had a seating capacity of 1,568. It survived a 1976 fire and major renovations in the 1980s and 1990s but succumbed to the earthquake and was demolished in July 2011.

About 10,000 houses were demolished in the suburbs. The earthquake caused soil liquefaction and rockslides in and around Christchurch, leaving many areas infeasible for rebuilding. Efforts continue in Australia to earthquake proof buildings.

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Earthquake crack 5 feet deep, 6 inches wide and 40 feet long with emerging hot spring (the crack trends South 30 degrees East) Te Puia Springs. New Zealand. (1925) from the AGSL Photocraph Collections https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital/collection/agsoceania/id/232/rec/1

This entry was posted in Angie's Blog, Photo Collection and tagged christchurch, earthquake, new zealand, photographs.

Beautiful countryside makes beautiful maps : The Alps in Austria

Posted on May 12, 2020 Updated on May 27, 2020

By Angie Cope

There is a beautiful set of maps dating from 1913 by map great G. Freytag. The American Geographical Society Library has 7 from this 1:100,000 series and they’re packed full of information. From a distance, the maps appear to be basic topographic maps, but if you look closely and think about all the detail you can imagine the complexity of human and natural interactions. Viewing the maps along with photos from the AGS Library photo collections, you begin to understand that this is both a snap shot in time and a reference for the present.

G. Freytags Skirouten-Karte des Ennstales und der Rottenmanner Tauern (G. Freytag’s ski route map of the Enns Valley and the Rottenmanner Tauern)
1913
https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital/collection/agdm/id/12013/rec/1

Liezen Torfstich or peat bogs.

The above-ground extraction of peat is referred to as peat cutting. This organic material, which is created in bogs from the carbon from dead plants, serves as a low-energy fuel, to improve soil ventilation in horticulture and to a small extent also for the production of textile fibers and for medicinal purposes.

Interesting map symbology for avalanche warnings. (click on any image to see a larger view)