Earthquake!!!!

[Heat]

WE had an Earthquake today.  Still don't know how bad but it rocked the house.  Wow!!!!!  It was about 10 min. ago  11:00 a.m.

[pablo]

... in response to Earthquake!!!!, posted by Heat on Mar 8, 2005


I found out at the USGS site that it was 5.1 in magnitude and its epicenter was 10km east of Armenia.  Not as severe as the 6.7 you had back in November.

Not being a structural engineer I still have concerns how well the buildings would fare after a severe quake in Colombia.  In looking at how the high rises are constructed in Medellin with the small amount of rebar and few support columns I think its courting disaster. All the smaller brick buildings don't stand a chance.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Quakes/usvjax.htm

[Pete E]

... in response to Re: Earthquake!!!!, posted by pablo on Mar 8, 2005

P,
I think the newer ones are probably built OK in general,but alot of front facia material,bricks ect craked and fell in the last earthquake and it was really pretty minor here.
A big one,like a 7 plus nearby and they are in trouble,particularly the older buildings,and the  newer ones would at least lose alot more of the outer layer of material,which doesn't seem to be put on to any sort of earthquake code.
There is also design and then there are  construction standards.They lost alot of newer buildings in the Mexico City earthquake of about 1984.The buildings were designed to newer standards but not constructed as designed,rebar not tied together,ect.
I was  a little nevious in the last earthquake here,not that it was much,felt like a 4 in California,but I have 9 floors of buiding above me and I was wondering just how well it was built.Seems solid as a rock,built on rock only 11 years ago.

Pete

[Pete E]

... in response to Earthquake!!!!, posted by Heat on Mar 8, 2005

I thought I felt something very minor.But the higher up in a building the more you sway.

Pete