A 7.8 is a hell of a shake. NZ is Stage 2 of "Hot Spot Evolution". Stage 1 is Hawaii and Stage 3 is Central America. So that region in NZ is not fun in terms of volcanic and tectonic activity.
Palef, I am assuming that you are near or in the Canterbury Plains? I remember most of my Historical Geology, as most rely on Wiki. Nor do some of these folks understand the mechanics behind soil liquefaction. I remember the 2010 Quake well as they discovered a previous unknown fault, as well as a rare foreshock, before the actual quake. What is not cool here, are the obvious 5-6 rating aftershocks that will follow over the next few months.
Those aftershocks are stronger than many earthquakes. Definitely not something anyone wants to be in. I've been in smaller quakes back in the years when we traveled in and out of the country. The strongest quake I ever experience was when we lived in Caracas Venezuela. It did quite a bit of damage and was not even a 7. The one in NZ was far greater in strength than that. There are different types of quakes to, the side to side, up and down, liquification. Makes a difference in the type too.
That area is part of the ring of fire. It creates interesting features but it comes at a price.
