Every large earthquake reveals another facet of nature's riddles.
Because earthquake engineering is experience-driven, the only time we can truly study the engineering effects of large earthquakes is when they occur. Each earthquake functions as a lab, a unique earthen university that helps us to discover more about earthquakes, how they function, and what they can do. The earthquake that struck on August 17 southeast of Izmit in Turkey can teach us much, for there are numerous correlations between the North Anatolian fault and the San Andreas fault in California. Back to Table of Contents Sealing the Subway James E. Monsees, Ph.D, P.E., F. ASCE, technical director for underground engineering and senior vice president at Parsons Brinckerhoff, in Orange, California, and Amanda Elioff, P.E., M. ASCE, a professional associate at Parsons Brinckerhoff, in Los Angeles. Despite these many innovations, new materials and approaches may be needed for these structures to remain stable under high levels and large numbers of earthquake-induced distortion cycles.