Professor Tony Nimer, an earthquake specialist at the American University of Beirut, presented findings after his field examination of the effects of the earthquake that struck Turkey last February, which largely apply to the nature of Lebanon and other countries in general. He stated in a series of tweets on "X" (Twitter) that buildings with few floors (1 to 3 floors) mostly remained standing even a few meters from the fault lines. In contrast, buildings with several floors (4 to 8 floors) showed varying degrees of damage depending on the type of rock beneath them and how well their foundations were interconnected.
He mentioned that he did not encounter buildings higher than 8 floors in his field work, clarifying that the absence of information regarding those buildings and their reactions does not leave room for interpretation whatsoever. Nimer cited testimonies from some residents in buildings very close to the seismic lines, indicating that they could hardly stand due to the intensity of the tremors while trying to exit their homes, yet the majority of their buildings remained erect and habitable. Most of the buildings that were destroyed by the earthquake were built on loosely consolidated rocks, with foundations that were not well-connected.
He emphasized that the significant level of destruction caused by the earthquakes on February 6th, both in Turkey and Syria, is either due to the weak geological nature of the areas (type of rocks and soil) or the construction methods that did not comply with standards (weak foundations), or a combination of both.
Nimer concluded regarding Lebanon specifically that "the majority of Lebanese areas consist of hard rocks, especially where tall buildings are located, which is a positive indicator, while areas with loosely consolidated rocks and weak sediments mostly have low-rise buildings, which is also good."
After this series of tweets, Dr. Nimer explained to "Warda" that Lebanon's geological nature is mostly rocky, and the limestone rocks characteristic of Lebanon are not as strong as volcanic rocks, but this does not mean they are weak. He noted that Beirut and the coastal areas have solid rocky characteristics, evidenced by the Raouché Rock and the Ain al-Mreisseh - Manara beach. However, sandy rocks are weak against earthquakes and constitute about 15-20%, spreading in areas like Chouf, Jezzine, and parts of Beirut, such as the Ramlet al-Baida area. In this context, Dr. Nimer, an earthquake specialist, confirms that most buildings in these areas are built well in terms of foundation interconnection.
The same applies to buildings in the Bekaa region, which has similar soil characteristics to those in sandy areas. In response to a question regarding the weakest areas in Lebanon, he pointed to areas of fill or dumps transformed into vacant spaces, such as Normandy and the waterfront, but he also noted that the buildings in these areas consist of only a few floors, as engineers took into account the nature of these areas.
Dr. Nimer reinforced his opinion with observations from Turkey, where buildings less than a few meters away (3 meters) from the earthquake remained intact due to proper construction and well-connected foundations, while in other areas like Antioch, some buildings’ lower floors sank into the ground because the geological nature is similar to that of fill areas.
He concluded by emphasizing two essential points: first, not all buildings in Lebanon are resistant to earthquakes. Second, based on his field examination of the Turkey earthquake, in the event of a similar earthquake, the vast majority of buildings in Lebanon would be able to withstand it, contrary to some fears that there would be "not a stone left on another," thus it does not warrant a state of emergency.
