Description and analysis of building damage due to Pyrgos, Greece earthquake

On March 1993 an earthquake of magnitude M_s = 5·5 shook Pyrgos, a town in Western Peloponnissos, one of the most seismic prone areas in Greece. The damage induced to modern reinforced concrete buildings was rather light in contrast to the damage induced to historic and traditional buildings of adobe, stone or brick masonry which was severe. In order to study the causes of structural damage, detailed data are collected from a rather large statistical sample of 1023 masonry buildings and 22 reinforced concrete framed buildings with visible damage. For each building the number of storeys, the material of construction, as well as the type and the degree of damage are recorded. In addition, consideration is given to the site of the building within the town and the corresponding soil conditions. For reinforced concrete buildings, damage occured mostly in areas with relatively high estimated spectral accelerations and fundamental soil periods of vibration close to those of the buildings. Nevertheless, further analysis is required to explain the selective damage of a very small number of buildings. For masonry houses, the effect of soil conditions is more systematic. Moreover, the effects of the number of storeys as well as the age and material of construction appear to be dominant.