Could stronger building codes have prevented damage from the 6.3 earthquake that rocked Christchurch this week?
The 6.3 earthquake that struck Christchurch, New Zealand this week has caused major devastation to this historical city, damaging several landmarks, including the Catholic Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and Christchurch Cathedral, and thrusting building codes to the forefront of conversation. In a country that has as many fault lines as sheep, how does one build earthquake-resistant buildings?
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Considered an aftershock of the earthquake that struck New Zealand last year, experts point to a newly discovered fault line running through the South Island—‘newly discovered’ because it reared its ugly head during the earthquake. Though many expected that an earthquake would hit the seismically active region soon, experts thought that Wellington would be the next victim. "Wellington has always been considered much more at risk because it straddles the plate boundary,” explained Australian Seismological Centre director Kevin McCue to The Independent.
From a science and construction perspective, the latest New Zealand earthquake is fascinating. Plate tectonics is a natural process that can be a pain in the backsides of many structural engineers and creators of regional and municipal building codes. Earthquake-prone—and heavily populated—areas such as Chile, Japan and Southern California have devised strict building codes to which new structures must adhere. Additionally, municipalities have spent billions to retrofit existing buildings to withstand strong earthquakes.
Although the earthquake that struck New Zealand this week was actually weaker than the one that struck the area last year, its epicenter was closer to the surface. Shallow earthquakes can cause as much destruction as a strong earthquake.
While the good people of Christchurch begin to pick up the pieces of their lives—quite literally—new building codes will be put in place to avoid such destruction in the future. The key is to build structures that withstand strong earth movement long enough to keep those inside of it safe from....Read the rest of the article at:
http://www.constructiondigital.com/tags/building-codes/latest-new-zealand-earthquake-puts-spotlight-building-codes
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