The magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Kaikoura New Zealand in 2016 caused over 50 landslides along State Highway 1, north and south of the Town. The team of engineers tasked with reopening the corridor to road and rail traffic needed a rockfall barrier system with a small footprint and wanted to incorporate precast blocks being used elsewhere on the corridor for other purposes. They contacted Holmes Solutions to do a full-scale impact test of the system. The precast concrete blocks are what you would see on the roadway side of the barrier. The back side of the barrier system consists of gabion baskets with some kind of sand layer in between the baskets and the blocks. Click on the video to see the outcome of the test!
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What Would a Large Earthquake Do to Downtown L.A.?
From the USGS Newsroom:
USGS scientist Ken Hudnut fills us in on how science created the theoretical magnitude 7.8 earthquake behind the Great Southern California ShakeOut—the largest earthquake preparedness drill in U.S. history, coming Nov. 13—and what such an earthquake would do to downtown Los Angeles.
Seems like they did it right wiith this study. They had multiple teams independenlty come up with the ground shaking model, then had different structural engineers who are experts in seismic design of large buildings review the tall buildings in the L.A. area for the design earthquake. They say that buildings would likely come down in the 7.8 magnitude event. Click through to watch the video interview from the USGS.
New Study Shows Odds High for Big California Quakes
Released: 4/14/2008 12:02:15 PM
California has more than a 99% chance of having a magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake within the next 30 years, according scientists using a new model to determine the probability of big quakes.
The likelihood of a major quake of magnitude 7.5 or greater in the next 30 years is 46%-and such a quake is most likely to occur in the southern half of the state.
[Editor] At Left: Figure 1. The colors on this California map represent the UCERF probabilities of having a nearby earthquake rupture (within 3 or 4 miles) of magnitude 6.7 or larger in the next 30 years. As shown in the table, the chance of having such an event somewhere in California exceeds 99%. The 30-year probability of an even more powerful quake of magnitude 7.5 or larger is about 46%. [/Editor]