Consequences of liquefaction

[slofox]

Many moons ago, when I lived in Chch, subdivision of Bromley and/or Bexley was in it's early stages. I seem to recall that there was considerable opposition to those developments because of the nature of the ground. But the then powers that were over-ruled such opposition and said the equivalent of "nah - she'll be right, no worries!"

Wrong, huh?

My belief is that there must have money involved somewhere...but then, I'm just a cynical bastard, eh...

[spookytooth]

The old saying a wise man builds his house on rock.Being in the building trade i have often wondered what would happen in these subdevisions built on swamps and sand.Tauranga has so many its scary

[slofox]

The old saying a wise man builds his house on rock.Being in the building trade i have often wondered what would happen in these subdevisions built on swamps and sand.Tauranga has so many its scary

Half of The Tron is built upon the peat...

[Ocean1]

Is "thixotropic" the correct word to describe this subsoil?

Yes. Also, see "colloidal" http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/la900890n

[AllanB]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2ksvD3VqTI&feature=fvsr

[ellipsis]

Many moons ago, when I lived in Chch, subdivision of Bromley and/or Bexley was in it's early stages. I seem to recall that there was considerable opposition to those developments because of the nature of the ground. But the then powers that were over-ruled such opposition and said the equivalent of "nah - she'll be right, no worries!"

Wrong, huh?

My belief is that there must have money involved somewhere...but then, I'm just a cynical bastard, eh...

...your beliefs are well founded...to quote Peter Davie the CEO of the Port Company being interviewed on National Radio last week, when queried about the port being opened and whether their offices and buildings were intact...' we had engineers design our buildings, not accountants and lawyers'... he aint no friend of mine but I applaud his comments...

[Ocean1]

' we had engineers design our buildings, not accountants and lawyers'

Quite possibly the most succinct criticism I’ve encountered of the consumer society we’ve become.

[Winston001]

i was talking to a Dunedin City Council building inspector who is just back from ChCh he says there is a theory that the ground once liquified and had water/silt come out it should be better packed down as a building site, he wasnt convinced and neither am i, i think ChCh is fucked and spending billions rebuilding on dodgy ground is ludicrous

Totally agree. The trouble is I don't think anybody would condemn entire suburbs and pay for everyone to move elsewhere.

It did happen in a small way after the 1984 Invercargill floods. A few houses sites were condemned because they were likely to be flooded again. The houses were shifted to new sections. I think the council and the government paid for that but it was only a dozen properties, not hundreds.

Many moons ago, when I lived in Chch, subdivision of Bromley and/or Bexley was in it's early stages. I seem to recall that there was considerable opposition to those developments because of the nature of the ground. But the then powers that were over-ruled such opposition and said the equivalent of "nah - she'll be right, no worries!"

Wrong, huh?

My belief is that there must have money involved somewhere...but then, I'm just a cynical bastard, eh...

Yes and No. The city planners and engineers raised concerns but the elected councillors faced public expectations that land close to the city and the sea should be built on. Councillors are human and rely upon votes: they thought the planners were being wimps.

Yes. Also, see "colloidal" http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/la900890n

Cheers thanks for that.

[Winston001]

Naturally we tend to concentrate on the disaster to families and homes but there is another related problem. Buckled streets, water and sewage pipes, and cables. This infrastructure stuff is what allows people to live in suburbs but if the council can't be confident the services won't break time and time again...what do they do?

I bet many officials have a secret wish to move everyone and start again. Hard news but it would make sense.

[mashman]

I bet many officials have a secret wish to move everyone and start again. Hard news but it would make sense.

And if it's cheaper, most tax payers too.

[Laava]

They are making noises about demolishing 10,000 homes. And then conversely doing everthing possible under the sun to save buildings like the cathedral. Seems to me the cathedral, and a few other notable buildings, will come down by themselves before they ever get the means to earthquke proof it!
On another note, does anyone else think that "colloidal' sounds like a sexual reference?