Japan earthquake kills nine

Japan earthquake kills nine; more aftershocks expected
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/14/asia/j...arthquake/

Tokyo (CNN)At least nine people died when an earthquake struck Japan late Thursday, the Kumamoto Prefecture disaster management office said.
Search crews scrambled to dig through rubble in southern Japan, looking for people trapped under collapsed buildings.
The magnitude-6.2 quake struck near Ueki, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Dozens of smaller aftershocks followed.

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lucky no nuclear reactor affected this time, looks like no one is bothered about China's 7.6 GDP growth today. 

More quakes in Kyushu today with more deaths. Time to buy Jap assets coming soon??

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(16-04-2016, 10:00 AM)BlueKelah Wrote: More quakes in Kyushu today with more deaths. Time to buy Jap assets coming soon??

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Have some compassion, please 

RIP. My best wish for the survivors. We are lucky to be in a place without earthquake...

Japan earthquakes: Dozens killed; 'race against the clock' to find survivors

Tokyo, Japan (CNN)Heavy rains were expected through Sunday after Japan's Kyushu region was struck by twin earthquakes, hampering the search for survivors and forcing nervous residents into crowded evacuation centers.

At least 32 people have died in the latest Kyushu earthquake, according to Kumamoto Prefecture's disaster management office. The magnitude-7.0 quake hit early Saturday.
...
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/16/asia/j...arthquake/

Are we really immune? Reality - Singapore is near enough the Sumatran fault and Sumatran subduction zone. Low frequency waves propagate well and can travel far before it reach our bedrock. Thereafter, it will be amplified when it goes through soft soil sites (see the geological map of Singapore). That is why those who live in tall buildings at certain sites can feel distant earthquakes.

Researchers have modeled and found that the worst case scenarios for us would either be a 9.5 magnitude earthquake originating in the Sumatran subduction fault 600km away from us or a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in the Sumatran fault 400km away from us. A 15 to 25 storeys building in Singapore has a natural frequency typically between 0.625 and 1.43 cycles. So locations in Singapore with natural frequencies around that range are susceptible.

Based on models, the worst case for us would result in base shear loads of 10% of building's weight in vulnerable sites. These last research was done in 2008 after the 2004 Aceh earthquake and 2005 Nias earthquake (both were strong). BCA's guidebook for design of buildings was last updated in Apr 2013. I trust their model is updated and building designs are already evaluated for seismic action. Any civil engineers out there who can shed some light if the worst case loads are assumed?

I stay in a building that is not higher than 9 floors and I choose a hill (not the ideal region though). My friends think I think too much. The last open-source geological map is dated 2009. I remember that a comprehensive survey is ongoing given the government's focus on underground usage. If that survey is completed, I believe it should still be for restricted usage. You probably think by now that I am paranoid. Wait till you hear me about my plans not to put all my eggs in one basket. That will be a tale for another time.

Which hill is that? And why not ideal?
Based on my past experience with meteorology, Singapore indeed has very low chance of having buildings collapsed due to earthquakes. The main risk will likely come from human oversight in not complying with the building codes.

(18-04-2016, 07:14 AM)Caelitus Wrote: Are we really immune? Reality - Singapore is near enough the Sumatran fault and Sumatran subduction zone. Low frequency waves propagate well and can travel far before it reach our bedrock. Thereafter, it will be amplified when it goes through soft soil sites (see the geological map of Singapore). That is why those who live in tall buildings at certain sites can feel distant earthquakes.

Researchers have modeled and found that the worst case scenarios for us would either be a 9.5 magnitude earthquake originating in the Sumatran subduction fault 600km away from us or a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in the Sumatran fault 400km away from us. A 15 to 25 storeys building in Singapore has a natural frequency typically between 0.625 and 1.43 cycles. So locations in Singapore with natural frequencies around that range are susceptible.

Based on models, the worst case for us would result in base shear loads of 10% of building's weight in vulnerable sites. These last research was done in 2008 after the 2004 Aceh earthquake and 2005 Nias earthquake (both were strong). BCA's guidebook for design of buildings was last updated in Apr 2013. I trust their model is updated and building designs are already evaluated for seismic action. Any civil engineers out there who can shed some light if the worst case loads are assumed?

I stay in a building that is not higher than 9 floors and I choose a hill (not the ideal region though). My friends think I think too much. The last open-source geological map is dated 2009. I remember that a comprehensive survey is ongoing given the government's focus on underground usage. If that survey is completed, I believe it should still be for restricted usage. You probably think by now that I am paranoid. Wait till you hear me about my plans not to put all my eggs in one basket. That will be a tale for another time.

Cealitus, the fault line lies on the other side of sumatra, not on the side of SG/MY. Any mega quakes may be felt but unlikely to cause much damage, they have to go through the Sumatran island to get here. Tsunami wise SG is well protected on all sides as well. 

I guess the more wealth one has, the more one might worry about losing it. But I guess that's what insurance is for
I reckon the chance of fatality in a car crash is much higher than that of a condo toppling down, but maybe you can check with an insurance fellow on the stats. 

For SG environmentally the bad yearly haze would be the biggest concern. 

Looks like its earthquake season, Ecuador just had a big one too and much more casualties than Japan.

(18-04-2016, 07:31 AM)pianist Wrote: Which hill is that? And why not ideal?
Based on my past experience with meteorology, Singapore indeed has very low chance of having buildings collapsed due to earthquakes. The main risk will likely come from human oversight in not complying with the building codes.

On a hill in the east. When I relocate back to SG, I am may move to the south-west side.

(18-04-2016, 08:32 AM)BlueKelah Wrote:

(18-04-2016, 07:14 AM)Caelitus Wrote: Are we really immune? Reality - Singapore is near enough the Sumatran fault and Sumatran subduction zone. Low frequency waves propagate well and can travel far before it reach our bedrock. Thereafter, it will be amplified when it goes through soft soil sites (see the geological map of Singapore). That is why those who live in tall buildings at certain sites can feel distant earthquakes.

Researchers have modeled and found that the worst case scenarios for us would either be a 9.5 magnitude earthquake originating in the Sumatran subduction fault 600km away from us or a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in the Sumatran fault 400km away from us. A 15 to 25 storeys building in Singapore has a natural frequency typically between 0.625 and 1.43 cycles. So locations in Singapore with natural frequencies around that range are susceptible.

Based on models, the worst case for us would result in base shear loads of 10% of building's weight in vulnerable sites. These last research was done in 2008 after the 2004 Aceh earthquake and 2005 Nias earthquake (both were strong). BCA's guidebook for design of buildings was last updated in Apr 2013. I trust their model is updated and building designs are already evaluated for seismic action. Any civil engineers out there who can shed some light if the worst case loads are assumed?

I stay in a building that is not higher than 9 floors and I choose a hill (not the ideal region though). My friends think I think too much. The last open-source geological map is dated 2009. I remember that a comprehensive survey is ongoing given the government's focus on underground usage. If that survey is completed, I believe it should still be for restricted usage. You probably think by now that I am paranoid. Wait till you hear me about my plans not to put all my eggs in one basket. That will be a tale for another time.

Cealitus, the fault line lies on the other side of sumatra, not on the side of SG/MY. Any mega quakes may be felt but unlikely to cause much damage, they have to go through the Sumatran island to get here. Tsunami wise SG is well protected on all sides as well. 

I guess the more wealth one has, the more one might worry about losing it. But I guess that's what insurance is for
I reckon the chance of fatality in a car crash is much higher than that of a condo toppling down, but maybe you can check with an insurance fellow on the stats. 

For SG environmentally the bad yearly haze would be the biggest concern. 

Looks like its earthquake season, Ecuador just had a big one too and much more casualties than Japan.

As mentioned above, low frequency waves can travel long distances and their models have set out ranges for SG. If the buildings have accounted for that, we should be safe unless the construction was done shoddily (highlighted by pianist which is a good reminder).

The elevated location is more of a flood-protection measure. It is interesting that you brought up tsunamis because there are some researchers who have examined the impact of seismic movements of the Sunda shelf. A quick layperson explanation can be found here at http://www.earthobservatory.sg/faq-on-ea...ed-tsunami.

(24-04-2016, 05:13 AM)Caelitus Wrote:

(18-04-2016, 07:31 AM)pianist Wrote: Which hill is that? And why not ideal?
Based on my past experience with meteorology, Singapore indeed has very low chance of having buildings collapsed due to earthquakes. The main risk will likely come from human oversight in not complying with the building codes.

On a hill in the east. When I relocate back to SG, I am may move to the south-west side.

Interesting point raised 

South-west side is around Jurong-East, which is an important off-center business hub, not too bad for a location.