Great Pyramid's earthquake resistance traced to geometry and relieving chambers. Study published in the journal Scientific Reports by Egyptian and Japanese scientists. Lead author was seismologist Muhammad Elgabri of Egypt's National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics; senior co-author was geoscientist Asim Salama. The Great Pyramid of Khufu contains 2.3 million stone blocks, stands 481 feet tall, and was built approximately 4,500 years ago over about 26 years.

Egyptian and Japanese scientists placed vibration sensors at 37 points on the Great Pyramid of Khufu and discovered it resonates at a different frequency than the ground below—dodging the earthquake amplification that destroys most buildings. Seismologist Muhammad Elgabri led the study, published in Scientific Reports.

Key Facts

  • Study published in the journal Scientific Reports by Egyptian and Japanese scientists.
  • Lead author was seismologist Muhammad Elgabri of Egypt's National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics; senior co-author was geoscientist Asim Salama.
  • The Great Pyramid of Khufu contains 2.3 million stone blocks, stands 481 feet tall, and was built approximately 4,500 years ago over about 26 years.
  • Method: ambient vibration analysis using sensors at 37 points inside and around the pyramid to measure tiny tremors from ocean waves, Cairo traffic, and ambient sources.
  • Findings: the pyramid naturally vibrates at a different frequency than the ground beneath it, avoiding the resonance effect that amplifies earthquake damage in buildings.
  • Seismic shaking diminishes substantially within the relief chambers stacked above the King's Chamber, which appear to dissipate seismic energy.
  • The 1992 Cairo earthquake damaged tens of thousands of buildings but left the Great Pyramid untouched.
  • Senior author Salama said he would hesitate to claim the builders intentionally designed for earthquakes, attributing the result to trial-and-error accumulated over generations of pyramid-building.

Related site: The Great Pyramid of Giza — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.

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