AAAS: “Egypt’s Great Pyramid is also a great earthquake dampener.” Ancient Egypt’s builders may not have had modern engineering software, but their pyramid construction techniques accidentally created an earthquake-resistant masterpiece. I realize immediately that there are those—who deny science + logic—who will argue that this was intentional. “The Great Pyramid of Khufu has withstood seismic shaking for more than 4 millennia, and a new study in Scientific Reports reveals the physics behind its resilience.”
“When researchers measured how vibrations travel through the monument’s labyrinth of chambers and passageways, they discovered the massive structure ‘hums’ at a different frequency than the ground beneath it—between 2 and 2.6 hertz compared with the soil’s 0.6 hertz.” This mismatch acts like a buffer, preventing destructive seismic waves from amplifying as they pass through the limestone blocks.
“One practical test of the monument came in 1992, when a magnitude 5.9 earthquake devastated the region around Cairo.” The Great Pyramid lost exactly one stone. Findings suggest ancient Egyptian builders developed highly effective construction techniques through generations of trial and error.
Regardless of whether it was conscious, the result is what lead author Mohamed ElGabry calls “the culmination of centuries of Egyptian builders learning from both successes and failures,” National Geographic reports. So, go ahead: hum a lullaby + shake it up, baby.
