21 Archeological Geology (Posters)

Thursday, 23 March 2006
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM

MAPPING THE EFFECTS OF 1886 CHARLESTON EARTHQUAKE ON WOOD FRAME BUILDINGS

Paper number: 21-4
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 1:30 PM – 5:30 PM

Authors

Abstract

The Charleston 1886 Earthquake (7.2 M) was the largest seismic event in the Eastern United States. Extensive damage was done to many of the structures in the Charleston region. Most reports on the earthquake damage discuss the damage done to masonry buildings and chimney structures. This study focuses on the damage that is still visible today on wood frame buildings in the region. Wood frame homes in the Charleston region experienced extreme shaking during the earthquake. Many of the homes exhibit the resulting tilt and torque today.

Fall 2005 students mapped the wood frame homes and their direction of tilt using GPS and GIS. The final database includes information from the 1886 Stockdell insurance report and photographs of each of the buildings. The database has been correlated to geologic maps to produce information about the ground motion experienced during the earthquake. This database will help with emergency preparedness in the region, helping to identify those homes that exhibit the most distortion prior to the next event.