Constructions in Earthquake-Prone Regions

Whether it is the result of atmosphere change or of our advanced society, one thing is sure: the Earth is stricken by more and more natural disaster. And if it is not enough, these earthquakes, tsunamis and landslides all the time happen in the most inhabited - and regularly the poorest, undeveloped - regions, causing thousands of casualties each year. However, this phenomenon is probably not a unique part of our modern days - there are numerous examples of destruction caused by earthquakes in the old times, when whole settlements were destroyed by the Earth's seismic activity.

We might use high-tech gadgets and possess a amount of university degrees, but in some sense we just can not get smarter. We, as well as our predecessors tend to evolve cities close to fault lines, the most earthquake prone areas. The only dissimilarity is that every time we build higher and higher buildings, therefore we increase the severity of the consequences of a potential quake.

Earthquake & Tsunami In Japan

The most familiar American fault line is probably the San Andreas Fault Line, which literally crosses important cities in California like San Diego, Los Angeles or San Francisco. In these regions seismic operation is an daily phenomenon. To avoid potential catastrophes, in the United States building codes regularly have exact requirements in earthquake prone areas to increase the constructions' resistance.

It is important to note that building codes were introduced to forestall major catastrophes, any way a heavy earthquake can damage these buildings to a minimal extent. A properly engineered buildings does not necessarily have to be high-priced or extremely strong. The most important is the base isolation and the use of vibration control technologies. It is also recommended to make the roof as light as possible. The use of quality control and strict materials is indispensable.

Instead of adobe, limestone and sandstone structure, steel is thought about to be the most approved material to use in quake-prone areas, although not even steel buildings can guarantee 100 percent proof in a strong quake. Other advantage of steel buildings is ductility, as the elements are flexible and can bend even without breaking into pieces. This is a crucial point in building and produce in territories around fault lines.

Time is Other important factor, as in these regions, the time of an earthquake is unpredictable, it can happen even before finishing the construction. Therefore, it is recommended to shorten the building phase as much as you can. As steel buildings are available in pre-fabricated, pre-drilled and pre-punched elements, you can evolve a building faster then using traditional materials, therefore minimizing the risks.

Constructions in Earthquake-Prone Regions