What caused it and why did it make a building in Bangkok collapse?

On Friday, Myanmar’s major earthquakes resulted in more than 1,600 deaths and a lot of structures collapsed.

Southeast Asian countries are high -risk areas of earthquakes, but neighboring Thailand and China (China influenced by earthquakes) are not.

Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, exceeded more than 1,000 km (621 miles) at the epicenter of the earthquake, but the city’s unfinished high -rise buildings fell.

Here we will explain the cause of this earthquake and how it could have such a strong impact.

The upper layer of the earth is divided into another section called a tectonic plate, and it is all constantly moving. Some people move together and others are above and below each other.

It is this exercise that causes earthquakes and volcanoes.

Myanmar is considered one of the world’s most geological “active” regions in the world. This is because it is on the convergence of four crusts, which are Eurasian plates, Indian plates, sunda plates and Burma Micides.

The Himalayas were formed by the Indian version that collided with the Eurasian board, and in 2004, the Tsunami was formed as a result of moving down the Indian version of Berma Micides.

Dr. Rebecca Bell, a TECTONICS reader of Imperial College London, said that the error -rock crack -tectonic plate can be “sliders” to accommodate all of these movements.

There is a major flaw called Saga Ying Fault, which is cut directly from the north to south through Myanmar and is more than 1,200 km (746 miles).

According to the initial data, exercise that causes an earthquake of 7.7 on Friday suggests that the two blocks are “striklip” in which the two blocks move horizontally.

This is consistent with the typical movement of the flaw.

When the plates pass by, they suddenly loosen and when the earth changes, it can build friction and cause friction until an earthquake occurs.

The earthquake can occur at up to 700 km (435 miles) under the surface. This is just 10 km from the surface and made very shallow. This increases the amount of shaking on the surface.

The earthquake was also very large, measuring 7.7 at the moment. According to a US geological survey, more energy was produced than Hiroshima fell.

Dr. Bell said that the size of the earthquake is due to the type of defect.

“Right nature [of the fault] She can rupture in a large earthquake, and the larger the earthquake, the greater the earthquake. “She explained.

“In the last century, there was six times larger earthquakes in this area.”

This straight defect also means that many energy can lower the length. This extends to 1200 km south of Thailand.

The earthquake on the surface is determined by the type of soil.

In the soft soil, the seismic waves (the earth’s vibration) with the built of Bangkok slow and accumulate, which is larger.

Bangkok’s geology would have made the land more intense.

A dramatic scene appeared in a high -rise building in Bangkok, but while shaking during the earthquake Tapping water in the rooftop pool -The incomplete headquarters of the Chatuhak district in Bangkok, the president of the auditor, appears to be the only skyscrapers.

According to Dr. Christian Málaga-Chuquitaype, a senior instructor of the IMPERIAL COLLEGE College, Bangkok did not have a comprehensive safety standard to withstand the earthquake before 2009.

This means that old buildings were particularly vulnerable.

This is not uncommon because the earthquake resistance building is more expensive to build and Thailand does not experience the earthquake frequently unlike Thailand.

Dr. Emily SO, a professor of architectural engineering at Cambridge University, said that old buildings, such as California, West Canada and New Zealand, have been strengthened and strengthened.

Professor Amorn Pimarnmas, chairman of the Thai Rescue Engineers Association, said there were regulations on earthquake prevention buildings in 43 states, but less than 10% of the building resisted the earthquake.

But the collapsed building was new. In fact, when an earthquake occurred, it was still under construction and the updated building standard would have been applied.

Dr. Pimarnmas said that Bangkok’s soft soil may have participated in the collapse because it can amplify the ground exercise more than three to four times.

He added: “But there are other assumptions such as material (concrete and reinforcement) quality and some irregularities. [the] Rescue system. These will still be investigated in detail. “

Dr. Malga-Chuquitaype seems to be preferred after studying the video, and it is no longer recommended in areas where earthquakes are easy to occur.

“The ‘flat slab’ system is a way to build a building where the layer is made to relax on the pillar without using the beam.”

“Imagine a table that only supports legs without extra horizontal support below.

“This design has the advantage of costs and construction, but it fails in a (almost explosive) manner that is poorly performed during the earthquake and is often broken.”

Myanmar’s Mandalay may have slipped and experienced a much more severe shaking experience than Bangkok.

Myanmar regularly experienced an earthquake, but Dr. Ian Watkinson, the Earth Science Instructor at Royal Holloway University, thought it was unlikely that many buildings were prevented.

“With the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 (Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004), major political upheavals did not interfere with the unpredictable risk of earthquakes.”

“This means that in most cases, building design codes are not implemented, and architecture occurs in areas where earthquake risks, such as flood plains and steep slopes.”

Some of Mandalay and the building also follow the flooding sources of the Ayerwaddy. This makes it very vulnerable to the process of liquefaction.

This occurs when the soil has a high moisture content, and shaking makes the sediment loses strength and acts like a liquid. This increases the risk of landslides and building collapse because the land can no longer hold onto.

The doctor warned that aftershocks may cause additional damage to buildings near the defect route.

“Most of the time tends to be smaller than the main shock, and the size and frequency tend to decrease over time,” she said.