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[email protected] dom@gglz.com is offline
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Default Can some building guru explain how the earth can move but causeno structural damage?

AIUI it's a combination of local soil conditions & foundations (how
much quake energy is transferred to your building), the natural
resonant frequency of the building compared to the vibrational
frequency of the quake (certain sizes and shapes of buildings are more
vulnerable) and the strength and elasticity of the building's
structural elements and the connections between them (timber good,
unreinforced masonry bad).

As another poster pointed out, this is a very small shake -
insufficient to crack even old mortar on poorly maintained buildings -
apart from a few chimneys that were probably in a state where they
could have been lifted off the building by hand. (And I'm rather glad
I dismantled a chimney in that condition within the last few months).