Earthquake simulation at UC San Diego put building materials to the test

Engineers conducted a simulated earthquake today in San Diego on a piece of equipment called a "shake table" to help determine what kind of building materials are best to use in earthquake-prone areas.

The first shake test was done at 80% of the intensity of the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which left 57 dead. The Northridge quake was a magnitude 6.7. In the simulation, almost all the masonry on the one-story structure made of bricks, mortar, wood and drywall -- the same materials used to build many homes and businesses in Southern California -- collapsed.

"I was not expecting to see this at this level," said Richard E. Klinger, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.

On the second shake, which was 120% of the intensity of the Northridge earthquake, the rest of the masonry on the structure came crashing down.

The tests were conducted at the Englekirk Structural Engineering Center of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. The tests were paid for by the masonry industry and the national government