Structural Damage example essay topic

Charleston Earthquake of 1886 Extra Credit The Charleston earthquake of 1886 was one of the most damaging earthquakes in the history of the United States. It was also one of the larges historic earthquakes in Eastern North America. The quake killed 60 people and leveled many of the homes in this historic city. Most of the structures in the city we at least damages and the property damage was estimated at five to six million dollars. Structural damage occurred at distances exceeding 1000 kilometers away from the epicenter. This included central Alabama, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia.

There was about 1300 square kilometers of damage to railroad track. There was lateral and vertical displacement of the tracks and S-shaped curves could be seen in the tracks. The sand around the epicenter was ejected but now surface faulting could be observed. Many acres were covered with sand and many craterlets were formed. Water also started to flow out of these craterlets.

Several cracks opened up parallel to the Ashley River and many large trees were uprooted when the bank started too slid into the river. In Summerville many houses were settled in an inclined position and were displaced as much as five centimeters. Many chimneys were crushed at there bases and this allowed the entire chimney to sink down through the house. Many of the problems in Charleston that involved structural damage occurred because the city is not built on a solid foundation. Many of the land in the peninsula was built by landfills and then built on top of. Because many of the structures do not have a solid foundation, they collapse.

You can tell this especially because most of the damage from the quake occurred on the coastline where the landfills are located. There was also damage because of a process called liquification. The sand on the peninsula is full of water and when the ground starts the shake the water rises and causes the foundation that structures are on the weaken. This causes the buildings to tip over and to collapse as well. Some quake activity still continues in this area today but this kind of seismic activity has not occurred since 1886. This kind of earthquake is unusual because it does not occur on a plate boundary.

The intraplate epicenter is not unique for large earthquake though in Eastern and Central United States. Intraplate earthquakes have occurred at Cape Ann in Massachusetts, and in Missouri. The earthquake of Charleston is still being studied today so that scientists can possibly find a better understanding of earthquakes that do not occur on plate boundaries..