Aug. 20, 2019 – New research from Oregon State University takes steps toward understanding how tsunamis destabilize soil, which is key to building and retrofitting infrastructure that can withstand a disaster, according to an article in the Daily Astorian.
“Traditionally, in the past, the structural engineers have only thought about what happens at the soil level and above, and the soil engineers have thought about what happens at the surface and below,” said Ben Mason, an associate professor at Oregon State’s College of Engineering.
The project combines what scientists know about how the soil will affect the structure, and how the structure will affect the soil. The findings could help communities on the Northwest coast prepare for a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami.