Ehsani Weighs in on Earthquake Threats to Different Construction Materials

On Sept. 8, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco, causing more than 2,000 deaths. The high death toll is partially blamed on the traditional mud, brick and stone homes common to the region. CAEM professor emeritus Mo Ehsani recently spoke with Reuters news agency about the safety threats posed by these construction materials. 

At the time of the interview, rescuers were still digging through the rubble for survivors. According to Reuters, the buildings are often built by the families themselves to a traditional pattern, without any architect's help and with extensions added when they can.

"When you just have the gravity load work, it's fine, but with the pressure of an earthquake they can crumble basically like mud and dirt," Ehsani said. 

Experts estimate that rebuilding the damaged and destroyed structures in the same style will only lead to another tragedy at some point in the future following the next inevitable quake.