Skyscraper that may cause earthquakes [Tapei 101]

The Guardian (UK) ^ | December 2, 2005 | by Kate Ravilious

[aculeus]

Taipei 101 is a building with a lot to boast about. Standing 508 metres (1,667ft) high, it is the world's tallest. And at 700,000 tonnes, it must be among the heaviest.

But the sheer size of the Taiwan skyscraper has raised unexpected concerns that may have far-reaching implications for the construction of other buildings and man-made megastructures. Taipei 101 is thought to have triggered two recent earthquakes because of the stress that it exerts on the ground beneath it.

According to the geologist Cheng Horng Lin, from the National Taiwan Normal University, the stress from the skyscraper may have reopened an ancient earthquake fault. If he is right, then it raises concerns about proposals such as Sky City 1000 in Japan, the vertical city that has been proposed to solve Tokyo's housing problems. And it is not just skyscrapers that are a problem. Dams and underground waste deposits may also cause rumblings if they become too large.

Before the construction of Taipei 101, the Taipei basin was a very stable area with no active earthquake faults at the surface. Its earthquake activity was similar to parts of the UK, with micro-earthquakes (less than magnitude 2) happening about once a year.

[the invisib1e hand]

probably causes global warming and racism. the very shape of it is homophobic.

[martin_fierro]

[Strategerist]

While there's solid science about filling reservoirs and injecting liquid causing quakes, the weight of a building is so small I'm quite dubious these quakes were caused by it (along with many of the geologists quoted in the article.)

[SamAdams76]

[ClearCase_guy]

Question: Why is the recent earthquake activity so surprising?
Answer: This was a very stable area, with earthquake levels equal to the UK (negligible).

Question: Why is the building so incredibly heavy?
Answer: It is built of hybrid materials intended to withstand earthquakes (hmmmm).

Question: When did the earthquake activity begin?
Answer: As soon as construction began, years before a substantial building was on site (hmmm).

Question: Is this building causing earthquakes?
Answer: Of course not.

[RockyMtnMan]

Perhaps this was the fate of the tower of Babel?

[martin_fierro]

Another shot. Pretty impressive! No WTC, though.

[TexanToTheCore]

That is one of the ugliest buildings I have ever seen.

[KC Burke]

This is like saying that changing the side your hair is parted on will aggrevate your pre-existing back problem.

[fieldmarshaldj]

I would think it would spontaneously cause people in Kansas to have an incredible craving to get mu-shu pork takeout.

[Blzbba]

"While there's solid science about filling reservoirs and injecting liquid causing quakes, the weight of a building is so small I'm quite dubious these quakes were caused by it (along with many of the geologists quoted in the article.)"


I thought the same thing.

[ElkGroveDan]

In 1967, mountains of waste that had been injected into the Rocky Mountains set off a magnitude 5.5 earthquake under Denver in Colorado. A similar earthquake under a nuclear waste store would be disastrous.

What a load of crap. A 5.5 earthquake under a nuclear waste storage facility would be a non-event. I grew up in earthquake country. A 5.5 quake would knock some pictures off walls, but it doesn't cause damage to a modern wooden house, let alone a steel-reinforced concrete structure that would be holding nuclear waste.

[janetgreen]

It's not the tallest. The CN Tower in Toronto is 1,815 feet high. There haven't been any earthquakes there that I know of.

[Strategerist]

CN Tower is a fraction of the weight of this thing, though.

I'm unaware of stuff like the Transamerica Tower, Pac Bell Park, etc. setting off any quakes after construction in San Francisco, or anywhere else though.

[Republicanprofessor]

Ping for a later read.

[Codeograph]

I visited that building last summer. Not only is it built to withstand earthquakes, but also the strong winds from typhoons. They have a display in the middle of the building that shows how much the building is swaying in the winds. It is something like 50 feet laterally it is built to withstand.

[willyd]

Maybe all the weight we fat Americans have gained will cause an earthquake along the San Andreas fault...it's worth a shot any way...lol

[digger48]

Michael Moore hits 700,000 tonnes before the second foot hits the scale. Does this mean Flint is next?

[reagan_fanatic]

That is one of the ugliest buildings I've ever seen.