Observations from the Sierra El Mayor earthquake (Northern Baja California Earthquake)
Read the Preliminary Report: Brief Report – EERI Clearinghouse – UCSD Team (1.8 MB PDF) Read the Final Report: Observations from the Sierra El Mayor earthquake (Northern Baja California Earthquake) (9.6 MB PDF)
Sierra El Mayor Earthquake of April 4, 2010, Baja California
Surface fault rupture and other ground failure investigations are underway by a collaborative team comprised of representatives from the U.S. Geological Survey, California Geological Survey, Southern California Earthquake Center, and other organizations. The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute also deployed a group of its members to the region soon after the event struck. Major geologic findings […]
Photos compiled by CSSC
See the Photos: Baja California Earthquake April 4, 2010 M7.2 (1.8 MB PDF)
Damaged Bridges
Figure 1. Railroad Bridge – single span collapse. Figure 2. Railroad Bridge, permanent offset in rail alignment. Figure 3. Railroad bridge, unseating of girders. Figure 4. UABC Pedestrian Bridge- Support Beam Damage. Figure 5. Pedestrian Bridge-Support Beam Failure. Figure 6. Bridge over Hwy. 2, settlement of slope paving. […]
The El Mayor Cucapah, Baja California Earthquake Reconnaissance Report
Read the Report: The El Mayor Cucapah, Baja California Earthquake Reconnaissance Report (18.4 MB PDF)
Observations on Performance of University of Canterbury and Lincoln University
The University was initially closed for one week, but during the clean-up, it was decided to extend the closure for a second week, with a phased return for students on the Thursday-Friday of the second week. On those days, graduate students with research offices were allowed in to clean up their offices, and faculty were […]
First Impressions from New Zealand
The themes of the M7.1 Canterbury earthquake are URMs and liquefaction, with the following qualifications: Christchurch is only in a moderate zone and an M7 at 30 k was not expected. However, the ground motions, for whatever reasons, were in general less than the zoned spectra. While not zero, there was very little structural damage […]
Preliminary Report on Bridge Damage
Regarding this third point, Figure 1a‐c shows the Gayhurst Road bridge over the Avon river in Christchurch, in a neighborhood where extensive soil liquefaction took place. River banks had multiple sand boils, the ground surface exhibited many large open cracks due to lateral spreading of the soil, and many residential homes suffered extensive damage due […]
Initial Impressions from EERI Team Leader
There is also considerable damage to URM buildings which are historic structures. At a public meeting at City Hall, the mayor, and council (and the director of a newly opened recovery center–one stop shop for permits and advice) took questions from a packed audience. There is real concern about the loss of the historic fabric […]
Photos of Mw7.1 Darfield (Canterbury), New Zealand Earthquake
Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 3. Figure 4. Figure 5. Figure 6. Note: The Canterbury earthquake is also referred as the Darfield or Christchurch earthquake. For more information, visit the New Zealand […]