In central California where I live (about 10 miles from the coast) the required design goal for new home construction is withstanding a 7.0 earthquake without major structural failure. Anything pushing an 8.0 will likely destroy any building regardless of construction technique. At that level the ground under the structure fails. We are fortunate that our primary building material is wood. Wood frame buildings even after they completely fail provide lots of survivable space. Masonry and concrete buildings simply crush you.
Thanks for the information DB. That’s good to know.
I watch the Science and Discovery channels. The other day I caught a program that showed how they are building some manufactured homes for replacement of the homes lost to Katrina.
They’ve really got it down to a science. By the time they are done, that home is basically one single piece. All sections are glued together. It’s supposed to be able to stand up to 160 MPH winds.
It would seem some of those tricks could be utilized in normal homes, so that they would stay in tact during earthquakes above 7.0, perhaps up to 8.0 or higher. I know they are already using a lot of trick, and perhaps they’ve incorporated all the same tricks, into the homes you’re talking about.
As long as they stay on the foundation, they should remain quite solid. Even if the foundation shifted, at least the home wouldn’t crumble in on the occupants.