Soil conditions and building/foundation construction are the main factors on the effects of a quake. The energy propagates differently through soil than through rock, and different kinds of buildings shake differently. We always see big differences in damage around the Bay area, because we have complex geology and a lot of different kinds of buildings.
When the Pretty Big One hit, I was on the top floor of a 5-story building in Emeryville. But the foundation consists of pile driven to bedrock, so the building reacted as if it were about 12 stories tall. The freeway collapse occurred mostly because of poor soil conditions; same for the Marina district, which was largely built on hydraulic fill (functionally equivalent to Jello).
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Date: 2007-10-31 04:09 pm (UTC)When the Pretty Big One hit, I was on the top floor of a 5-story building in Emeryville. But the foundation consists of pile driven to bedrock, so the building reacted as if it were about 12 stories tall. The freeway collapse occurred mostly because of poor soil conditions; same for the Marina district, which was largely built on hydraulic fill (functionally equivalent to Jello).