Destruction on Buildings and Houses Related to Coseismic Surface Rupturing

Abstract

The Kumamoto earthquake series caused a maximum seismic intensity of 7 (on the Japanese 7-point seismic intensity scale) at both areas around the epicenters of the largest foreshock (Mw 6.1) and the Mw 7.1 main shock (Japan Meteorological Agency 2016), indicating severe damage and disruption throughout central Kyushu Island, including the Aso caldera region. These two large earthquakes caused more than 126,000 houses seriously damaged including 8300 destroyed (as of 1 July 2016) (National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience 2016). The damage and destruction of houses and infrastructures were considered to be caused by strong ground motions related to the coseismic surface ruptures and different geological environments. To share the information concerning the damage and destruction of houses and buildings, this book focuses on the damage of houses and buildings that are considered to be related with coseismic surface rupturing during the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake (Figs. 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 76, 77 and 78).