Seismic analysis studies the effects of earthquakes on buildings, soils, and rocks. Structural engineers use simulation software to predict behavior during earthquakes and suggest improvements to structures and building codes. Geologists use seismic analysis to study the Earth’s interior and locate mineral resources.
Seismic analysis is the study of how earthquakes and other seismic events affect the buildings, soils and rocks of the Earth itself. As a field of study within structural engineering, seismic analysis is often used to study potential damage to buildings and other structures from earthquakes. In geology, seismic analysis is used to study the Earth’s interior by analyzing how seismic waves travel through the materials that make up the planet.
Structural engineers use seismic analysis in several ways. Existing buildings and other structures, as well as the surrounding and underlying soils and rocks can be studied with sophisticated simulation software to try to predict how they will behave during an earthquake. This study is useful for emergency management as well as determining the relative safety and durability of buildings and other structures during and after earthquakes. These simulations allow structural engineers to recommend possible improvements and adjustments to existing structures to improve their ability to withstand earthquakes, and suggest changes or updates to building codes for earthquake-prone areas.
Architects often work with structural engineers during the design phase of a new building or structure to determine how it will behave if hit by an earthquake. Many factors, including building design, materials, and the composition of underlying soils and rocks, influence a building’s behavior during and after an earthquake. Seismic analysis can help determine whether a proposed design is strong and safe enough to adequately withstand earthquakes.
Geologists use seismic analysis to study the earth’s interior. By studying how seismic waves, both from earthquakes and man-made events such as explosive detonations, travel through the ground, they are able to learn a great deal about the rocks and soils through which seismic waves travel. Seismographs, extremely sensitive instruments designed to detect seismic waves, together with other instruments and computers, allow geologists to study layers of the Earth far below the surface that they would not otherwise be able to access.
In the mining industry, seismic analysis is used by geologists and mining engineers to determine potential locations to search for mineral and petrochemical resources. Seismic analysis can also be used to predict potential safety problems in mines. Safety concerns can arise because of the structure of the rocks and soils in which the mining is done, as well as because of how those rocks and soils might act during an earthquake.
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