Wat kind of dammage would you expect to see after a 6.6 earthquake? How much to level houses?

Answer 1

There are two major factors: depth and construction.

A recent mid-6 earthquake hit seattle, but it was very deep, and only caused slight damage (bricks falling, etc.).

Afganastan had a mid-6 earthquake and thousands died, mostly from poorly-designed homes collapsing.

LA had one in 1994 that killed dozens and collapsed major freeways and houses, like the Northridge Meadows apartment complex.

So, the answer is yes, that size can collapse buildings with the right circumstances.

Answer 2

It depends on the location. Where I live in the SF Bay Area, if an earthquake of 6.6 happened on the Hayward Fault in the East Bay, where the fault runs entirely thru an entire heavily populated area, for 50 miles, the damage would be catastrophic, because a couple of million people live on or near the fault.
But the 6.6 in Hawaii had its epicenter on the west side of the Big Island, where maybe 30,000 people live, add another 5,000 tourists, so there's not nearly as much to be damaged as on the Hayward Fault.
Also, the type of fault where the Hawaii quake struck might have been different than the faults here in coastal California.

Answer 3

An earthquake of this magnitude will typically do moderate damage. Since the magnitude only measures the total energy of the earthquake, other factors will affect the level of damage.

Shallow quakes will result in stronger shaking than deep quakes, but over a smaller area. The type of ground can either amplify or damp the earthquake vibrations. Also, the direction of the shaking can affect how structures will react.

And the type of construction will determine how much shaking a structure can take. Earthquakes in the Middle East tend to be cause a lot of death and destruction because of the unreinforced masonry used for many houses there. Wood frame construction, common in the Pacific islands, is more flexible and much less likely to collapse.

Answer 4

Depends entirely on the construction standards in the area. If an earthquake of that strength hits a major city in California, most of the buildings would come through without major damage, and there would only be a handful of deaths. If it hit someplace in the third world, you could see the whole city leveled, with up to a hundred thousand people killed.

Much of the destruction in such earthquakes is caused not by the earthquake itself, but by fires. Gas pipes burst, lamps and stoves tip over, etc... and when a large number of fires get started at the same time all around town at a time when 911 is flooded with calls and roads may be wiped out, the local firefighters can't deal with the situation.

Answer 5

6.6 earthquake will release the energy of about 7 million tonnes. The damages depends upon the geographical condition of the place. Depends upon several other factors also. To know more about this please visit my slide show at URL
http://asia.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/quake

Answer 6

Didnt that happen in Hawaii?????