WTC Towers Collapse Caused Small Earthquakes

when New York's World Trade Center towers collapsed, a siesmic station recorded earthquakes of magnitude 2.1 and 2.3. This analysis examines how gravity contributed to the collapse of the towers.

1 minute read

October 5, 2001, 1:00 PM PDT

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


"Though terrorists triggered the collapse of the World Trade Center's twin towers, much of the energy -- calculated by a physicist to have been at least 2 percent that of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima -- was supplied by nature's most ubiquitous force: gravity...When the crumbling towers thudded to the ground, they created ground tremors equal to earthquakes of magnitude 2.1 and 2.3, as measured by a seismic station in Palisades, N.Y., 21 miles north of Manhattan...More surprising, even the impacts of the airliners shook the ground, registering with the equivalent of earthquakes with magnitudes of 0.7 and 0.9."

Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan

Friday, October 5, 2001 in MSNBC

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Ken Jennings stands in front of Snohomish County Community Transit bus.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series

The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

April 20, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Rendering of Penrose Roundabout in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia Is Expanding its Network of Roundabouts

Roundabouts are widely shown to decrease traffic speed, reduce congestion, and improve efficiency.

1 hour ago - WHYY

Green painted bike lane with striped buffer between car lane and curb parking lane.

Why Bike Lanes Are Good: An Explainer for the US Transportation Secretary

Sean Duffy says there’s no evidence that bike lanes have benefits. Streetsblog — and federal agencies’ own data — beg to differ.

3 hours ago - Streetsblog USA

Yellow electric school bus with preteen students exiting.

California Invests Additional $5M in Electric School Buses

The state wants to electrify all of its school bus fleets by 2035.

April 25 - Associated Press