A study of Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza has shed light on the geophysical and engineering factors that may have helped the ancient monument withstand earthquakes for around 4,600 years, potentially offering lessons for protecting modern infrastructure, Egypt’s National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics said.
The research could help engineers better understand the relationship between a building’s natural frequencies and those of the soil beneath it, institute chief Bassem Nabawy said in a statement.
Avoiding a match between the frequencies of a structure and the ground could reduce the amplification of vibrations during earthquakes, he said.
The findings, previously published in Scientific Reports, a journal of the Nature group, could support future work in engineering, geophysics, heritage protection and urban planning, Nabawy said.
The research may also contribute to developing engineering solutions to control vibrations in high-rise buildings, bridges and other strategic infrastructure by improving understanding of how structures interact with the ground, he added.
Geophysical surveys could be used in the planning of new cities and major projects by identifying soil properties and dominant frequencies before construction begins, helping engineers select designs suited to each site and reduce seismic risks, MENA reported.
The same non-destructive and environmentally friendly techniques could be used to monitor the dynamic behaviour of historic buildings and archaeological sites without excavation or physical intervention, Nabawy said.
He added that researchers could apply the methodology to other archaeological sites, including the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure, as well as the areas of Dahshur and Saqqara, to build a geophysical database on the dynamic behaviour of Egypt’s ancient monuments.
The study brought together geophysics, engineering and archaeology to examine one of the world’s oldest structures and its geological setting, the institute said.
It was conducted by a team led by researchers Mohamed Nabil El-Gabry, Hisham Hussein, Assem Salama and Mohamed Salah Maqlad, in co-operation with Ayman Hamed of Suez Canal University’s Faculty of Petroleum and Mining Engineering and Japanese researcher Sakuji Yoshimura.
The institute has the expertise and geophysical technologies needed to study major structures and heritage sites, Nabawy said, adding that such research could improve infrastructure safety, heritage conservation and preparedness for seismic hazards.
