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Earthbag Houses in Earthquakes

Why they perform better than concrete structures.
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We've all seen what's just happened in Turkey and Syria, and despite the massive worldwide news coverage, in truth this isn't a one off for Turks or Syrians, or indeed Iranians (There are over 700 quakes a year in Iran according to the Tehran Times). I lived in Turkey for 20 years and remember well that earthquakes were the thing everyone was most afraid of. Not terrorism, not the economy, not a virus. Earthquakes. The three afore-mentionned countries lie smack bang over three fault lines separating the Eurasian, the African and the Arabian plates. If you live there, you'll be lucky to go through a year without the ground moving and your house shaking.

If you live in an earthquake zone, when it comes to natural building, frankly you won't care how sustainable your house is, or if it's made of cow dung or gold plate. All you care about is whether that thing will collapse on you. This was the overriding reason I opted for earthbag building for my mud home in Turkey. And I never ever regretted it. It's also the reason I began documenting my build and still share my earthbag building PDF for free. Because for people without many resources living in these areas, earthbag is a game-changer. It's no coincidence that the inventor of earthbag was an Iranian.

What happened to The Mud Home in an earthquake?
I experienced four earthquakes over 5 on the Richter scale in my earthbag house in Turkey, and it was an amazing experience. There was something pretty damn fine about sitting in the home I'd built (a home that many had derided for being made of mud not concrete) feeling the floor shift and watching my hanging candles swing, while not hearing a single creak from the rafters. It was as though my house danced. It just felt so incredibly solid. I was especially vindicated seeing as my neighbours house had a huge crack running down it after one quake, while mine had zero damage. My foundations were gravel (rubble trench). There was no rebar and not a drop of Portland cement. Today I couldn't care less if 500 engineers tell me otherwise. Well-designed, properly built earthbag outperforms concrete and rebar. This is why they're now being built in Nepal (another earthquake hot spot). In 2015 all 55 earthbag structures there survived a 7.8 magnitude earthquake with no structural damage, while every other kind of structure from concrete to traditional adobe proved fallible. Yes sorry purists, sometimes the traditional doesn't in fact outperform a new idea.

Why is earthbag so strong?
Strength is not simply about being 'tough'. This is the typical thug mentality of modern thought that is often mindlessly transposed on to building by people who don't know too much about it. Hardness is not strength, and can actually be very brittle. Hardness in construction tends to crack. What gives earthbag homes (especially round earthbag houses) their incredible strength is in fact connection:) It's the locking in of the bags using barbed wire. There is no weak point in an earthbag circle, thus nowhere for it to crack or pull apart. The other reason earthbag can handle quakes is flexibility. Earthbag is a structure that can move with the earth, which means a quake just ripples through it.

Resources:
The Free Earthbag Building PDF:
https://www.themudhome.com/earthbag-pdf.html
There's some good information about earthbag structural strength on the Engineers for Change website.
https://www.engineeringforchange.org/research/analysis-earthquake-testing-trends/

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The Mud Home earthquake log
Here's a list of the quakes my little earthbag home danced through.

7 Oct 2015: 5.2 earthquake in Kumluca/Demre

5 Sept 2014: 5.3 earthquake at sea, Cirali-Finike.

28 Dec 2013: 5.8 earthquake at sea, just off the coast of Antalya

10 June 2012: 6.1 earthquake Fethiye to Antalya.

Is the Mud Home useful?
I've spent over ten years writing, editing and organising all the free information on this website. The only reason I could keep doing this is due to the support of everyone on Patreon. If you value The Mud Home and want to chip in to keep in running, please consider making a pledge.
Support The Mud Home on Patreon
Disclaimer: All the content in The Mud Home website is provided for informational purposes only. The author undertakes no responsibility for any person or entity who chooses to use the information on this website. It is not intended to be a standard and should not substitute for the exercise of good engineering judgment by engineers. It is the user’s obligation to make sure that he/she uses the appropriate practices and consults the appropriate experts when building. It is the user's obligation to make sure they are following health and safety guidelines. The author is not responsible for any accidents, injuries or damages to persons or property incurred while using the information presented in this website.

Some blog articles refer to the use of lime. Please note, lime is caustic and can cause burns. Read The Mud Home guide to using lime safely here.

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The Mud Home  Copyright © 2013  Atulya Kerry Bingham
  • Home
  • Building
    • Earthbag >
      • Rubble Trench Foundations
      • Earthbag in Extreme Weather
      • Earthquakes and earthbag
    • Earth Plaster
    • Using Lime
    • Cob
    • Straw Bale
    • Wattle and Daub
    • Inspiration
    • Off-Grid Living >
      • Off-Grid Prep Course
    • Mud Building Blog
  • Books
    • Dirt Witch
    • Mud Ball
    • Mud Mountain The Book
    • MUD BUILDING PDF PACKAGE
  • About
    • Contact
    • Mud Home Facebook Group
  • COURSES
    • ATULYA's In Person Workshops 2025
    • Perfect Earth Plaster Online Course
    • Lime for Beginners Online Course
    • MUD BUILDING PDF PACKAGE
    • The Off-Grid Roadmap
    • Consultation
  • Blogs
    • Mud Home Turkey
    • Barn Life in Spain
  • My Projects
    • The Earthbag Home in Turkey
    • The Barn in Spain