The Loma Prieta Earthquake: Implications of Structural Damage

The Loma Prieta earthquake provides a wealth of information on the seismic response of a wide variety of structures over a large metropolitan area. Soil amplification at sites distant from the epicenter contributed significantly to the substantial damages developed during the earthquake. Because of the large shaken area, the earthquake provides much useful information for all those interested in earthquake engineering. Structural damages resulting from the earthquake are reviewed herein with emphasis on buildings and bridges. Implications for modern design and retrofit methods are highlighted. Emphasis is placed on the need to carefully consider soil conditions, to treat the structure as a system rather than as an assemblage of independent elements, to explicitly define performance expectations, and to increase efforts to retrofit older seismically hazardous structures