Answer:
When an earthquake occurs, it sends shockwaves throughout the ground in short rapid intervals in all different directions. While buildings are generally equipped to handle vertical forces from their weight and gravity, they cannot handle side-to-side forces emitted by quakes.
This horizontal load vibrates walls, floors, columns, beams and the connectors that hold them together. The difference in movement between the bottom and top of buildings exerts extreme stress, causing the supporting frame to rupture and the entire structure to collapse.
To design an earthquake-proof building, engineers need to reinforce the structure and counteract an earthquake’s forces. Since earthquakes release energy that pushes on a building from one direction, the strategy is to have the building push the opposite way. Here are some of the methods used to help buildings withstand earthquakes.