Fairytale Structural & Seismic Diagnostic Simulator
Explore how ground movement and water conditions can affect pipes, foundations and walls around a Nanaimo property.
Educational scenarios only. These controls do not measure offshore energy, local shaking, soil moisture or a water table. This is not a live tracker, earthquake prediction or structural diagnosis. Your home’s actual risk is not calculated.
Choose a scenario, not an observed fault condition. Offshore activity cannot be converted directly into shaking at your home; distance, depth, ground conditions and the building matter.
Surface runoff, soil saturation and groundwater elevation are different conditions. This simplified control groups them for learning; a wet lawn does not measure the water table.
Home Foundation Risk Assessment Report
Educational scenario report—not an assessment of your home.
Baseline movement and dry-soil scenario selected. Low settings do not establish that a property is safe or free of defects.
Soil movement & perimeter drains
No shaking is assumed in this scenario. Settlement, poor support or existing damage can still affect a drain.
- New ground settlement, separated drain connections or displaced paving.
- Repeated blockages, new pooling or changing drainage performance.
Relative ground movement can separate joints or shear rigid pipes. These symptoms alone do not prove seismic damage.
Water behind retaining walls
The dry-soil scenario does not show water building up, but hidden drainage conditions remain unknown.
- New leaning, bowing, displaced blocks or erosion at the wall base.
- Persistent seepage, pooling above the wall or a blocked visible outlet.
Hydrostatic pressure requires water to accumulate. Soil type, backfill, outlet condition and wall design matter; saturation alone cannot determine the load.
Foundation & crawlspace changes
A baseline setting cannot rule out pre-existing cracks, moisture or settlement.
- New or widening cracks, offsets across cracks or fresh gaps at supports.
- New uneven floors, sticking doors or visible movement at accessible crawlspace supports.
Photograph changes from a safe location and record dates. Do not enter a flooded or visibly damaged crawlspace. Crack appearance alone cannot establish the cause or structural safety.
Local environmental observations
No environmental observations or study results are being read by this tool.
Record when physical changes appear and compare the timing with documented rainfall or confirmed shaking. Coincidence does not establish cause. Unusual wildlife or orca sightings are not reliable earthquake predictors and cannot diagnose structural anomalies.
Consult Earthquakes Canada for official seismic information.
Site-specific soil, drainage and structural information is needed before drawing conclusions about your property.
Act on actual damage, not slider positions. Keep clear of an unstable wall or visibly damaged building and seek a qualified structural or geotechnical professional. For immediate danger, call 911. Follow official emergency instructions during or after an earthquake.
How this learning tool works & sources
The sliders select written educational scenarios. There is no validated risk formula, magnitude conversion, location lookup, fault monitoring, sensor data or connection to a private research study. Nothing you select is sent to Fairytale or stored. Saturated loose sand or silt can lose strength during strong shaking; wet clay is not automatically a liquefaction site.
A camera inspection can investigate accessible pipe interiors. It cannot certify a foundation, assess a wall’s structural stability or predict an earthquake. Technical investigations are paid services; access, suitability and scope are discussed before booking.
Book a Precision Camera Inspection.