Earthquake engineering is the collective effort of earth scientists, geotechnical engineers, structural engineers, and public policymakers to provide a built environment that is safe in the event of an earthquake. A significant part of this effort and the focus here is related to structural engineering, which involves the design and construction of structures and the anchorage of nonstructural building contents. Additionally structural evaluations and targeted retrofit of existing structures can be utilized to mitigate the risk of human and economic loss from an expected maximum probabilistic earthquake at a given site due to building collapse, loss of building contents, or economic downtime. Earthquake engineering thus constitutes a case study in specific relations between science, technology, and ethics.

FIGURE 1
Impact of Earthquakes in Developing Countries vs. Industrialized Countries
SOURCE: Courtesy of GeoHazards International, http://www.geohaz.org

Historical and Technical Background

Interest in constructing buildings to provide...