Personally, I think much has been taken for granted on the
assumption that Singapore, is permanently safe from
earthquakes.
Read the following article from Today, what are your
opinions?
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Is Singapore quake-proof?
By Lin Yanqin, TODAY
SINGAPORE: Could Singapore ever feel more than tremors during an
earthquake? Can our buildings withstand powerful shudders, keeping
in mind the island's extensively reclaimed land?
These are questions Harvard earthquake expert Professor James Rice
and Associate Professor Lee Fook Hou from the National University
of Singapore's (NUS) Civil Engineering Department think Singapore
should mull over.
Assoc Prof Lee who has conducted research on the effects of
seismic activity on local buildings posed the question: "Are we
doing enough?"
"There isn't enough data
we are not sure which buildings may
collapse and which won't," he said.
Proposing that an agency or an institute be set up to conduct
research on earth science, Assoc Prof Lee called for more support
from the Government in sustained research in the field. "We need to
know where we stand," he said.
While some research on earthquakes has been done by the Civil
Engineering Department at NUS, these were mostly one-off
projects.
In the past, tremors have been felt whenever an earthquake occurred
in nearby Sumatra, the most recent being in March last year, which
measured 8.7 on the Richter scale.
Speaking to reporters about his studies of the Great Sumatran Fault
before his public lecture at NUS today, Prof Rice warned that an
earthquake in the same region, measuring slightly higher at 9 on
the Richter scale, could double the effects felt in
Singapore.
Add to the fact that clay soil significantly magnifies the
amplitude of each seismic wave, it is possible that Singaporeans
could feel more than a mild tremor if a large earthquake
hits.
"Singapore stands on extensive soft marine clays and sands. You
have massive cargo ports and harbours on reclaimed land," Prof Rice
said.
"I think you should put in place a set of studies to realistically
assess the plausible size of earthquakes and the detailed response
of structures in Singapore."
As Singapore's history does not go back long enough to document
earthquakes which may have occurred centuries ago, it should not
think it is immune to the threat of a major earthquake off
Sumatra's western coast, Prof Rice said.
He likened Singapore to Mexico City, which was devastated by an
earthquake in 1985 because it was built on the bed of an old lake.
Prof Rice added that scientists in the United States learned that
Los Angeles was built on "terribly treacherous ground" only in the
1970s as the faults under the city had been inactive after a big
earthquake on the San Andreas fault in 1857.
"It's just what happens when you build cities fast you don't get
a good picture of the seismic environment that you live in," said
Prof Rice.
Prof Lee and Prof Rice also hoped to organise a gathering of
scientists from all over the world to discuss seismic activities
and its consequences which would be the first of its kind here
early next year. - TODAY
