Describing the levels of this and that of an earthquake

The Mercalli Intensity Scale describes, graphically, various levels of damage that result from earthquakes of various intensities. (The intensity of an earthquake is a different thing — and may or may not be intimately connected to the level of damage from the quake.) A simulator at Northern Illinois University puts this into visually graphic form: (Thanks […]

Earthquake-activated house-levitating pneumatic system

The  Air Danshin Systems company of Japan says it offers pneumatic technology to protect buildings in the event of an earthquake. The shaking triggers a stream of air that levitates the house. The diagram below, from the company, shows to some extent how the system works, with blue representing the stream of air. (The Spoon & Tamago blog […]

Improbable Research