RPSE

09/13/2016

September is Earthquake Preparedness Month. Although this type of emergency can be an unforeseen crisis, it is a good reminder that employers have an obligation to create a safe work environment for their employees. Homes make up the largest inventory of buildings, and homeowners and tenants should be prepared for earthquakes and other natural disasters. The Association of Bay Area Governments has an excellent website. Check this out: http://resilience.abag.ca.gov/preparedness/ and stay safe!

03/10/2014

San Francisco is considering evaluating private schools - knowledge is a good thing:
http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/private-schools-would-be-required-to-have-seismic-evaluations-under-proposed-law/Content?oid=2728238

Following the passage of mandated seismic upgrades for soft-story buildings, San Francisco is focusing on requiring the safety measure for private schools. Under legislation introduced...

03/21/2012

7.4 Earthquake 175 miles southwest of Mexico City - MC is built on a dry lake bed and has similarities to the Marina district in SF. Even though the quake was quite a distance from MC, the "bowl of jello" response was felt there, although damage was thankfully minor for a city of this size. Similar to the Marina in the 1989 Loma Prietta quake, where there was extensive damage due to a 6.9 earthquake over 60 miles away. The Marina had liquefaction issues, where the saturated soils lose their cohesion during strong shaking.

A major earthquake measuring 7.4 in magnitude strikes near Acapulco, in central southern Mexico, with some houses reportedly damaged.

05/04/2011

Summary of the Japan quake:

http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=4620

A subduction fault - Pacific tectonic plate pushed underneath Japan. It was proceeded by 4 M6+ quakes two days before. Aftershocks: an M7, 50 M6, and 100s of M5.

Damage was limited (epicenter was almost 100 km from shore) mostly due to the building codes - more restrictive than the US. No reports of collapse of any engineered building

05/04/2011

Summary of the Japan quake:

http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=4620

A subduction fault - Pacific tectonic plate pushed underneath Japan. It was proceeded by 4 M6+ quakes two days before. Aftershocks: an M7, 50 M6, and 100s of M5.

Damage was limited (epicenter was almost 100 km from shore) mostly due to the building codes - more restrictive than the US. No reports of collapse of any engineered building

Working to reduce earthquake losses

03/16/2011

The destruction in Japan due to the immense earthquake and almost immediate tsunami is a wake up call - Japan has a well earned reputation for being prepared for these events, just not at this level. World wide and locally, the debate is sure to get started on N plants, one of California's Senators was giving his learned opinion on his web site.

As a geophysicist with a doctorate in earthquake studies, Senator Sam Blakeslee today issued a statement regarding the seismic safety of California’s nuclear power plants in the wake of the tragic and devastating damage Japan has sustained due to the recent earthquake and resulting tsunami. Senator

02/23/2011

Seismic loads on basement walls? A lot of geotechs (and structural engineers) seem to struggle with this, and the design loads vary considerably. Lars reviewed this paper we think it helps unwrap some of the issues around this subject.