7.1 Richter earthquake in Christchurch followed by more than 300 aftershocks

Christchurch, NZ earthquake map (click for animation)

The earthquake that hit Christchurch, NZ September 3, 2010 has not stopped ringing aftershocks.

The animated map shows how many, where and how fast they have been coming.

More than 100,000 homes and 500 buildings have been damaged. The repair estimate is as high as $4.5 billion.

Hospitals in the area report double the number of heart attacks as people succumb to anxiety from almost endless aftershocks.

Experts predict the shallow 7.1 earthquake will continue to have aftershocks.

No deaths were directly blamed on the earthquake which destroyed some Christchurch neighborhoods and left others more or less intact.

See BBC for more details.