There is unlikely to be a damaging earthquake in NYC in any of our lifetimes. http://www.usgs.gov/themes/map1.html But, one could happen in the next 500 to 1,000 years. http://www.iaspei.org/brochure/HAZMAP.jpg What does that mean for unreinforced masonry buildings like the cathedral in the event of an earthquake? They will be damaged, and may fall down. The damage would probably close off nearby streets. Hurt or sick people may die because they cannot be reached by emergency personnel. Fires may rage out of control because they cannot be reached. But, the risk in of dying in an earthquake in NYC is very low. Everybody is more much likely to die in automobile accidents or from disease. Or from nuclear attack. As to the question is possible to design a building to resist earthquake forces? Yes. And there are proven designs, including at least one in Tokyo that resisted a very strong earthquake fairly recently. Retrofitting historic unreinforced masonry structures to resist earthquakes is another issue. Like all things engineering, it could be done. But, the price would most likely be staggering and in the range of set-piece military equipment. I'd like to see the religious right debate whether an aircraft carrier or a seismically retrofitted cathedral is more desirable. Regarding the Iranian quake and the consequent destruction. They have a long history of 20-50,000 deaths per quake. This is a consequence of being in a seismically active area and of building with unreinforced masonry (mud bricks). That is how they will rebuild, too. The carnage in Iran will continue until they either emigrate to, say, NYC, or change their methods of construction. Another New Madrid earthquake is not going to shake the state of Mississippi any more than Elvis but may reverse the flow of the Mississippi River temporarily. Not to worry, everything will have long ago been blown away in a hurricane or a tornado. If it hadn't already been eaten by Formosan termites or simply rotted away. Steve Stokowski Stone Products Consultants Building Products Microscopy 10 Clark St., Ste. A Ashland, Mass. 01721-2145 508-881-6364 (ph. & fax) http://members.aol.com/crushstone/petro.htm