How do buildings collapse in a downward direction during earthquakes?

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I don’t get it. The Physics of it. And also how would one prevent this?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

So, maybe you’re thinking of a jenga tower, where all the blocks are stacked on each other, and pulling out one from the bottom makes the whole thing topple over on its side. The difference here is that “blocks” in this case are actually attached to each other by beams and nails and wires and plumbing.

If the blocks on the bottom get removed or crushed, the ones directly above them will start to fall down. But they are attached to the blocks all around them, and so get pulled inward as they fall. They can pull the other blocks down around them, but they don’t have the freedom of movement to fall way out to the sides.

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