Severe damage to farm buildings in the epicentral region was reported and the top 7.8 metres (26 ft) of the spire of ChristChurch Cathedral collapsed.

[3] The earthquake occurred on the Hope Fault, one of the group of dextral strike-slip structures known as the Marlborough fault system that transfer displacement between the mainly transform and convergent type plate boundaries in a complex zone at the northern end of South Island.

[4] Alexander McKay, a geologist working for the geological survey, observed horizontal offsets in farm fences between 1.5 and 2.6 metres (4.9 and 8.5 ft) along the fault.

In the North Canterbury region many buildings were severely damaged, particularly in the Hope Valley and Hanmer areas.

In Christchurch, the top 7.8 metres (26 ft) of the Cathedral spire fell down and minor damage, such as broken chimneys, affected many houses.