2006-10-06 20:54:51 · 4 answers · asked by elvi_eleven 1 in Environment
Here are the factors that come to mind:
- The strength of the earthquake
- The location of the earthquake
- The type/direction of movement in the earth
- The type of construction used in the affected areas.
- The ability of emergency crews to respond/fix damage.
Modern construction techniques allow buildings to weather earthquakes quite well. A 6.0 earthquake in a major city in California will be much less destructive than a similar earthquake somewhere in the third world.
2006-10-06 21:05:12 · answer #1 · answered by Bramblyspam 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Taller buildings have greater inertia; the upper floors tend to lag behind the lower stories during an earthquake. This can cause a "whiplash" effect, increasing the stress on the upper floors. Additionally, tall buildings have a natural resonance frequency that can match the frequency of the earthquake waves, and the feedback effect can cause the building to collapse. Loose soil, especially waterlogged soil, tends to increase the amplitude of earthquake waves so they do more damage. Earthquake-resistant construction isn't by technique but by design; features such as seismic isolators (mounting the entire building on shock absorbers or rollers) and shear walls (connecting the building's structural supports to distribute stresses more evenly), either by reducing stress points in a building which can lead to failure or by insulating the building from the shock waves themselves.
2016-03-28 00:38:29 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on the nature of the soil structure, unless it generates a tsunami. Clay soils turn into a liquid form and the waves generated by the quake can travel farther and faster in that type of soil than any other. As a weird thick liquid, the surface rolls like waves and causes a great deal of damage to buildings because they shake more and can sink into the soil.
The fracturing of fault lines can cause damage when one side drops, rises or the two sides move in different directions.
The main energy from a quake has to do with the strength and the depth, too.
2006-10-06 21:05:53 · answer #3 · answered by Susan M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Am I late for class AGAIN?
2006-10-06 20:57:03 · answer #4 · answered by backinbowl 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋