Monday, February 8, 2016

Learning from the Taiwan earthquake

Yeah, this is the first big 'learning' earthquake since Chi-chi (also in Taiwan).  We could learn so much if we could read Chinese.  I might have to wait for the papers, but they'll be behind the pay-wall.  :)

As well, although I could learn a lot, North American engineers will be oblivious, since they are stuck to California.

Things to learn:

A map of PGV (peak ground velocity) around the epicentre.  This will tell us the angle of the thrust fault and which side has the hanging wall.

A PGV map of the whole region will show us the soil amplification.  Right now I think it is a factor of 10 in PGV, but we need a close pair of soil and rock sites.

PGV and Intensity, or structural damage.  I'd love to know if we had standing waves.

Things we could have learned by won't:

The tin can building was damaged by a previous earthquake.  What was the the PGV?  If Taiwan was smart, they would do a noise analysis of every new building and then right after an earthquake.  They've got the money for that!  :)  I suspect the tincan building was too soft in first place, and the previous earthquake softened even more.  They could have condemned the building for that, but I suspect gross corruption, of almost Turkish standards.  Let my Taiwan apologist defend that!  :)

Seriously though, Taiwan is the best in this whole thing.  I shudder to think about other countries.


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