One reason is their natural frequencies. If the earthquake frequency matches that of a building, the building resonates, meaning it shakes more violently. Resonance results in an increase in the size of the vibrations. Earthquakes shake some buildings more than others. Earthquakes shake some buildings more than others.
Earthquakes cause the ground to vibrate, which means that it moves back and forth.
The number of vibrations per second that the ground moves is the frequency of the motion. The frequency of the shaking causes some buildings to vibrate more than others. This is because all objects have a natural frequency at which they vibrate. When the frequency of the earthquake matches the natural frequency of a building, resonance occurs, and that building will shake more than others. Don't miss Janice VanCleave's new book Science Around the Year .