Surviving 4,500 years of earthquakes

A recent analysis by Associate Professor Colin Caprani (Monash Engineering) and Scott Menegon (Swinburne University of Technology), revisits one of history’s most remarkable engineering feats: the Great Pyramid of Giza’s ability to withstand millennia of seismic activity.

Published in The Conversation Australia + NZ, the authors review new research showing the pyramid’s natural vibration frequency (2.0–2.6 Hz) is significantly different from that of the surrounding soil (~0.6 Hz). This mismatch helps prevent resonance, the dangerous amplification that occurs when a structure and the ground beneath it vibrate in sync.

The authors also point to the role of the relieving chambers above the King’s Chamber, which appear to reduce vibration levels and influence how seismic energy travels through the structure.

While these features contribute to the pyramid’s resilience, Associate Professor Caprani and Scott Menegon explain there’s no evidence the ancient Egyptians intentionally engineered it for earthquakes. Instead, its geometry, mass and construction methods may have inadvertently created exceptional seismic stability.

Read the full article here.
Listen to an interview with ABC Radio 702 Sydney here.

Associate Professor Caprani is a Board Member and Trustee of the The Institution of Structural Engineers, London. He is Head of Structural Engineering at Monash Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Chair Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures (CROSS) Australia.