Quote:
Originally Posted by Rui Z
You are right in that the tsunami was what caused the total failure.
Buildings aren't really designed based on magnitudes though. Magnitude is just a measurement of how much energy the earthquake released. Buildings are designed based on how much ground acceleration the earthquake causes. In the Japan earthquake, even though the magnitude was one of the highest ever, the acceleration was pretty low (~0.5g). California tends to get higher accelerations though (Northridge >1.0g) which causes alot of building damage. I'd be more concerned about eathquake damage to nuclear plants in California.
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Interesting, I have no experience with building design or anything outside of phone apps....
So would that mean the magnitude scale is more or less irrelevant when it comes to measuring the dangers of a given earthquake?
Would not surprise me if it was because I vaguely remember a couple interviews from the Japan incident with experts where it was mentioned the magnitude scale is a bit out of date.
Guess I have something to go research on now. I always love finding new things to figure out.
