Editing Canterbury Region (section)

==== February 2011 ====
{{main|February 2011 Christchurch earthquake}}
[[File:Cathedral Square 2402.jpg|thumb|[[ChristChurch Cathedral]] showing the effects of the February 2011 earthquake (tower under demolition)]]
A large aftershock of magnitude 6.3 occurred on {{Nowrap|22 February 2011}} at 12:51&nbsp;pm. It was centred just to the north of Lyttelton, 10 kilometres south-east of Christchurch, at a depth of 5&nbsp;km.<ref name="GeoNet6.3">{{Cite web
 |title       = New Zealand Earthquake Report – Feb&nbsp;22, 2011 at 12:51&nbsp;pm (NZDT)
 |work        = [[GeoNet (New Zealand)|GeoNet]]
 |publisher   = [[Earthquake Commission]] and [[GNS Science]]
 |url         = http://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/quakes/3468575g.html
 |date        = 22 February 2011
|access-date  = 22 February 2011
|url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110223092531/http://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/quakes/3468575g.html
 |archive-date = 23 February 2011
}}</ref>
Although lower on the [[moment magnitude scale]] than the quake of September 2010, the intensity and violence of the ground shaking was measured to be VIII on the [[Mercalli intensity scale|MMI]], which is among the strongest ever recorded globally in an urban area due to the shallowness and proximity of the epicentre.<ref>{{cite news
|url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/4714748/Building-code-no-match-for-earthquake 
|title=Building code no match for earthquake
|first=Andrea |last=Fox 
|work=[[The Dominion Post (Wellington)|The Dominion Post]] 
|date=1 March 2011 |access-date=11 July 2011}}</ref>

The quake struck on a busy weekday afternoon. This, along with the strength of the quakes, and the proximity to the city centre, resulted in 181 deaths.<ref>{{cite web 
|url= http://www.police.govt.nz/list-deceased 
|title=List of deceased
|work=New Zealand Police |date=1 June 2011 |access-date=11 July 2011}}</ref> Many buildings and landmarks were severely damaged, including the iconic [[Rapanui Rock|Shag Rock]] and [[ChristChurch Cathedral, Christchurch|Christchurch Cathedral]]. New Zealand's first National State of Emergency was promptly declared.