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https://theconversation.com/colombia-earthquake-has-killed-at-least-132-my-research-helps-explain-why-it-was-so-destructive-289478>
"Locals and officials in Colombia have begun a massive search and rescue effort
to find survivors of a powerful earthquake that struck near San José del Palmar
in Chocó, with major damage observed in the cities of Cali, Manizales and
Pereira.
At least 132 people have already been confirmed dead, with that number expected
to rise significantly in the coming hours and days. Thousands of homes have
also reportedly collapsed or been damaged.
The United States Geological Survey said the magnitude 7.4 earthquake occurred
primarily due to strike-slip faulting at a depth of approximately 110
kilometres. In simple terms, a strike-slip earthquake occurs when two blocks of
Earth’s crust slide horizontally past one another, rather than moving up or
down.
This comes just a month or so after earthquakes in Venezuela, which may have
destroyed or damaged more than 58,000 buildings and took the lives of
thousands.
It’s far too early to tell whether the earthquake in Colombia is connected to
the one in Venezuela. But there’s some evidence from Australia that nearby
earthquake faults can “communicate” with one another. A seismic slip on one
fault can effectively transfer stress to another nearby fault, causing an
earthquake.
I’ve spent years experimentally testing reinforced concrete structures, some
specifically designed to Colombian construction practices. My research suggests
we shouldn’t be surprised so many buildings collapsed in this disaster – and
also that we should be concerned about the many other regions around the world
with similar practices."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
