According to MSNBC, newly uncovered details about the earthquake that rocked New Zealand in February may offer grim lessons regarding the potential threat of fault lines running through urban centers. Profound changes in building codes are getting evaluated for the next generation of structures in New Zealand, ideas that may influence cities in the United States and the rest of the world that face similar hazards.
"Many urban areas are built over soft sediments and in valleys or over basins — for example, the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles Metropolitan," said Erol Kalkan, a research structural engineer and manager of the National Strong Motion Network with the U.S. Geological Survey. "These are urban areas that sit atop geological features that may exaggerate or amplify ground motion, just as Christchurch experienced."