On TV this morning an American structural engineer on the ground who was at the World Trade Center said that unreinforced brick and masonry buildings from 1880s to the 1930s are vulnerable to quakes and it is no surprise what happened to the many such buildings in Christchurch and surrounds on Tuesday with the severe lateral movement. Of surprise, however, was damage to a few modern buildings like the collapsed CTV building and the 26 story Hotel Grand Chancellor, which is in danger of collapse. He said the collapse of the WTC created a 2.2 magnitude earthquake in the area, which is minor, but the Grand Chancellor building would destroy neighbouring buildings in a radius about that of its present height.
An
article on the
Scientific American site about Tuesday's quake.
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