Can Singaore survive a multitude 7 quake

[VIBGYOR]

As it is we read about swaying buildings in Singapore leading to people evacuating in panic. In natural disasters one should plan for the 100 year floor or in earthquakes where buildings can collapse a 500 year tremor. A good move would be to base our building codes on Indo have a massive 8.5 quake near surface which might mean that we need to have our buildings designed for a 6.0 quake.

First comes the tremors, give you some time for you to prepare...

next will come the big one....everything will be wiped out in minutes...

what are the chances? see the past 10 years...how many devastation we have seen?

can you remember?

 

[singveld]

sg has very poor building codes with regards to earthquake safety, because no one in authority in sg believes earthquakes will ever happen in sg, which is partially true. the problem with that mindset of complacency and/or denial is that they are lulled into a false safety that only seismic disasters happen in neighboring indonesia and 'faraway' philippines. well, sumatra is not far away, and sumatra is perhaps one of the world's most active seismic region. the whole huge island is a result of subduction under two giant continental-size tectonic plates rubbing against each other, with one layer more dense than the other. the denser layer submerges and forms an ocean trench while the lesser emerges, forming land and the island. sumatra will only continue to expand, causing further constriction and more shallowness in the malacca straits. in such a subduction scenario, volcanoes form as soil and rock material in the denser layer melts into lava below the earth's colder crust. they have no place to go but float to the top, by pushing thru' the crust via whatever cracks and passageways they can find. it's just sg's luck or lack of it that sumatra happens to be home to one of the most dangerous super volcanoes on this planet. a combination of once in a lifetime seismic and volcanic activities on sumatra will render the whole region useless for decades.

how many times do i have to repeat this?

is that the reason why you are in USA not in singapore?

what you said is true, but the time scale of these subduction are very long, and human life is very short. So, we do not have to worry about these.

 

[eatshitndie]

This is something that has been on my minds. OK we are not in earthquake area but does the supposed earthquake area ever change - even if so slightly. After all the depth in which the quake occurs makes a big difference.

On the other hand we are pushing the envelope and basing our codes on NO earthquake/tremor. What if there is a big 8.0 in a part of Indonesia that is very close to us and the quake is close to the surface? Will the buildings on reclaim land be able to withstand such a quake with our neighbor?

As it is we read about swaying buildings in Singapore leading to people evacuating in panic. In natural disasters one should plan for the 100 year floor or in earthquakes where buildings can collapse a 500 year tremor. A good move would be to base our building codes on Indo have a massive 8.5 quake near surface which might mean that we need to have our buildings designed for a 6.0 quake.

geo-proximity to a fault line is one thing, while proximity to an oceanic subduction zone with tectonic implications is another. fault lines can cause up to richter 7 level earthquakes while subduction tectonics can cause up to richter 9 level ones. it's those once in a lifetime level 9 ones that sg has to be concerned about. sg is shielded in some way by sumatra high ridges, land mass and sea between the two islands. seismic activity produces several waveforms, and it also depends on the depth of the epicenter. most of sumatra's cases happen deep in the trenches. by the time the waves hit the surface, there's absorption of energy by ground terrain and water. nonetheless, in a huge quake near the surface, visible propagation of energy can persists for hundreds of miles, as it translates to shaking and swaying of structures. the intensity should subside by the time it hits sg, but infrastructural damages can arise. agree that sg should design their tall structures for a 6.0 quake, meaning more 'ductile' lattice-based i-beams in the frame and deep foundation piling into bedrock. reinforced concrete with flimsy rebars at columns and joints in most hdb highrises will not do. this will fall on deaf ears as it would require billions for redesign, reinforcement, reconstruction and ever new "upgrading" schemes.

 

[eatshitndie]

is that the reason why you are in USA not in singapore?

what you said is true, but the time scale of these subduction are very long, and human life is very short. So, we do not have to worry about these.

i like the shaking here. it happens very often here, mostly at level 4. the low woodframe homes with tight codes on beam-to-space ratio and a "floating" concrete base can easily survive a level 7 quake, unlike the nightmare scenario of being buried under 12 floors of substandard concrete with substandard rebar work, substandard sand and aggregate constructed by substandard labor (mostly from 4th world countries) in a hdb palatial paradise.

there's always yellowstone to worry about though. it's a 3rd of a continent away but still near. unlike toba, it's overdue. but you never know. toba, when misbehaving badly, will not give you telltale signs 'cos the subduction of its belly ache is so deep it's like a non-preggy giving birth to a monstrosity with teenager looks. anything can happen deep inside misbehaving subduction zones, such as premature births.

 

[longbow]

wah you sound like engineer. Yes it might cost billions to plan our codes for 500 quake but the codes need not be retroactive and just apply to new buildings. Maybe do away with that silly bomb shelter (unless that helps the structure integrity of the flat) and use the money towards meeting such a code

i like the shaking here. it happens very often here, mostly at level 4. the low woodframe homes with tight codes on beam-to-space ratio and a "floating" concrete base can easily survive a level 7 quake, unlike the nightmare scenario of being buried under 12 floors of substandard concrete with substandard rebar work, substandard sand and aggregate constructed by substandard labor (mostly from 4th world countries) in a hdb palatial paradise.

there's always yellowstone to worry about though. it's a 3rd of a continent away but still near. unlike toba, it's overdue. but you never know. toba, when misbehaving badly, will not give you telltale signs 'cos the subduction of its belly ache is so deep it's like a non-preggy giving birth to a monstrosity with teenager looks. anything can happen deep inside misbehaving subduction zones, such as premature births.

 

[UMNO Terrorist]

HDB FLATS? HAHAHAHA! Good QC! Lets make it magnitude 9.5 for a real test! HAHAHAHA!

 

[eatshitndie]

wah you sound like engineer. Yes it might cost billions to plan our codes for 500 quake but the codes need not be retroactive and just apply to new buildings. Maybe do away with that silly bomb shelter (unless that helps the structure integrity of the flat) and use the money towards meeting such a code

yup, new builds will be a great start. the bomb shelter nonsense in sg will go down in world history as one of the silliest thing ever conceived. perhaps, it's meant as a convenient way to bury the dead or alive when war breaks out, so bodies don't clog up the morgues and cemeteries.

 

[scroobal]

Re: Can Singaore survive a magnitude 7 quake

1) Singapore to its good fortune is not placed in the ring of fire like Indonesia, Philippines, Japan etc.
2) The Building codes therefore do not meet standards for an earthquake prone zone
3) Our issues are volcanic dust and debris. The most recent which blanketed Singapore was Mt Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines in 1991 which saw layer of dust everywhere with cars having to be cleaned..
4) Singapore also has the good fortune of being shielded by land on all fronts, so tsunami have never occurred.

Those who have worked in Tokyo will know what its like to live in a earthqauke zone as tremors are (very) frequent. Yokohama carries all the backup systems for Tokyo. Its fated and a matter of time. Many expats that take posting there do not bring their families across and many do not accept postings.

In the oft chance that the rapture of the plates off west Sumatra is massive, Marine Parade would be the most vulnerable as the recent tremors have indicated. Marine Parade is the first full blown hosuing estate reclaimed completely from the sea and thus early technology was applied. One can see the remanants of the old sea wall running north of Marine Parade Road in places such as St Patricks School.

In conclusion, worst case scenario is the city blacked out for 3 days and 3 nights from a volcanic eruption from either Toba or the Sunda strait.

In my opinion, given the land size and infrastructres of high rise buildings at least 80% will perish instantly before foreign aids arrive. Anyone agrees or disagrees......

 

[Glaringly]

With building shooting to 50 storey high the higher floor would be most felt by the swaying. Would be interesting to watch how the air-condition unit which most or all are sitting on those less then an inch high latch. Most likely if there is a big quack or anything closer then what the recent quacks are, there is a slight possibility that one of these time bombs may dislodge.

 

[Watchman]

Re: Can Singaore survive a magnitude 7 quake

Singapore can survive a 7% GST but not a 7.0 Richter .

It's people are stronger than the buildings .

 

[singveld]

hello eatshitndie

what is safest place in signapore, during a R 7 earthquake?

 

[eatshitndie]

hello eatshitndie

what is safest place in signapore, during a R 7 earthquake?

at the padang or any wide open field.

 

[Leongsam]

hello eatshitndie

what is safest place in signapore, during a R 7 earthquake?

Under Ho Ching's skirt.

 

[eatshitndie]

Under Ho Ching's skirt.

one may be overwhelmed with the sight, smell and sticky secretions. he would rather die under rubble.

 

[i_am_belle]

the only truly good thing abt singapore - is its geographic location - no earthquakes, no volcanos, no tsunamis, safely tucked in betw m'sia & sumatra ... it sucks in other aspects (governance, society, etc) ...

and as LTK said in serangoon stadium last GE rally, s'pore's good geographic location shd be credited to god/nature/heaven ... not PAP ... i rem this part of LTK's speech bcos i thot - how true !

 

[eatshitndie]

the only truly good thing abt singapore - is its geographic location - no earthquakes, no volcanos, no tsunamis, safely tucked in betw m'sia & sumatra ... it sucks in other aspects (governance, society, etc) ...

and as LTK said in serangoon stadium last GE rally, s'pore's good geographic location shd be credited to god/nature/heaven ... not PAP ... i rem this part of LTK's speech bcos i thot - how true !

the top 3 deadliest earthquakes on record happened away from tectonic boundaries and at places where there were no known records of previous quakes, and they happen to be godsmack in the middle of nowhere on the continent... far, far away from plate boundaries:

1. shaanxi, china, jan-23 1556, 830k fatalities
2. tangshan, china, jul-28 1976, 255k fatalities
3. antioch, turkey (former byzantine empire), may-20 526, 250k fatalities

don't be lulled into oblivion.

 

[singveld]

the top 3 deadliest earthquakes on record happened away from tectonic boundaries and at places where there were no known records of previous quakes, and they happen to be godsmack in the middle of nowhere on the continent... far, far away from plate boundaries:

1. shaanxi, china, jan-23 1556, 830k fatalities
2. tangshan, china, jul-28 1976, 255k fatalities
3. antioch, turkey (former byzantine empire), may-20 526, 250k fatalities

don't be lulled into oblivion.

you are in calfornia now. your risk of dieing by earthquake is much higher than sinkies ok. stop talking about earthquake.
wait tonight, you kena a big one while sleeping.

 

[eatshitndie]

you are in calfornia now. your risk of dieing by earthquake is much higher than sinkies ok. stop talking about earthquake.
wait tonight, you kena a big one while sleeping.

like i said, i love the shaking. bring it on baby!

 

[singveld]

like i said, i love the shaking. bring it on baby!

yes it is fun to feel 4. But when 7 hit, you cry father cry mother.

 

[eatshitndie]

yes it is fun to feel 4. But when 7 hit, you cry father cry mother.

we survived the last big one in 89. most homes and buildings were intact and safe, including candlestick park which had over 60k in the stadium. they were watching the world series between the oakland a's and sf giants. most fatalities happened on the nimitz freeway when an overpass collapsed on another overpass below. they had steel rebars in the concrete joints, and it was the joints that failed. they had been rebuilt with ductile i-beams. the other spot that had serious damage and an ensuing fire was the marina, landfill piece of garbage, a.k.a. "reclaimed land". we will survive the next big one. the question is "can you?"