Earthquake in Central Italy

[HUGH]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-37181933

Forgetting the American obsession with the forthcoming elections for a few minutes, here is a disastrous earthquake reported last night by the BBC. Several towns and villages high up the mountains in central Italy are seriously affected.

[WØTKX]

Yea. Killed a lot of people, and destroyed a lot of historic old buildings.

Been listening to the BBC reports as well, as it is a favorite news source via NPR radio.

Myanmar had a strong quake as well. :(

[PA5COR]

That area in Italy has this kind of earthquakes every 100 years, so it is not they new what could happen.
Still the loss of life is bad, hpefully they rebuild stronger more earthquake resistant.

There are still severe aftershocks.

[NQ6U]

That area in Italy has this kind of earthquakes every 100 years, so it is not they new what could happen.
Still the loss of life is bad, hpefully they rebuild stronger more earthquake resistant.

Living my entire life in an earthquake hazard zone gives me some insight into this. The problem is that the buildings in those lovely Italian hill towns are frequently hundreds of years old and made of stone, which is just about the worse possible material to use in an earthquake-prone area. Seismic retrofitting of old buildings to be earthquake resistant is 1) very expensive, 2) typically at least somewhat destructive of the historic aspect of the building and 3) sometimes not enough to save the building when a quake hits anyhow. So, the buildings are left as-is which means very vulnerable to being destroyed when the ground shakes and, as a result, people die.

California has a very strict building code when it comes to seismic reinforcement, which is why relatively few people die in when we get a big shake here, but the buildings tend to lack in aesthetic quality.

[AA1OH]

California has a very strict building code when it comes to seismic reinforcement, which is why relatively few people die in when we get a big shake here, but the buildings tend to lack in aesthetic quality.
Yes as a ex 6 lander (KA6BRX) I remember some of the codes. I think it was the Long Beach earthquakes of 1933 that finally band brick construction.

[HUGH]

Living my entire life in an earthquake hazard zone gives me some insight into this. The problem is that the buildings in those lovely Italian hill towns are frequently hundreds of years old and made of stone, which is just about the worse possible material to use in an earthquake-prone area. Seismic retrofitting of old buildings to be earthquake resistant is 1) very expensive, 2) typically at least somewhat destructive of the historic aspect of the building and 3) sometimes not enough to save the building when a quake hits anyhow. So, the buildings are left as-is which means very vulnerable to being destroyed when the ground shakes and, as a result, people die.

California has a very strict building code when it comes to seismic reinforcement, which is why relatively few people die in when we get a big shake here, but the buildings tend to lack in aesthetic quality.

Yes, it was decreed by the government that at least new buildings should be more earthquake resistant but the construction would need policing and who pays, especially under the present financial straits? The only way to make new build more attractive is to clad the (presumably) reinforced concrete with traditional materials but you can't do anything with the old houses except demolish and rebuild. Caging with steel would not look particularly attractive.
I believe the lovely old buildings are mainly limestone using lime and sand mortar with minimal foundations as they are perched on rock. (My house is like that but the inner skin is brick so it hasn't moved much).

[WØTKX]

Tuned mass damper technology.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYTrS4siE1s

[PA5COR]

Italy and most country's around the Mediterranean sea are earthquake sensitive, the area has 3 tectonic plates pushing against each other.
Building is brick and mortar, walls mostly 3 feet thick to keep the heat out in summer ( seen enough in my holidays there in south of France Spain etc).

Having them build on the slopes of mountains isn't helping either, but then people deem to build where there is a place and use materials that are cheap and in abundance available.

We build here with bricks/mortar as well, or concrete and have strict building code to adher to and checks during building you adher to that.
Most strongest quakes here ruffle out feathers at 3 or 3.5 on the Richter scale so nothing to worry about.
Looking at the pictures of the damage it is clear more modern and later build houses are still up, the old houses crumbled into dust.

Those thick walls of 3 feet don't give you a lot of chance to survive either if they fall....