Zinc creep in cable sockets is blamed for the 2020 collapse of the Arecibo telescope

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Investigators have linked the 2020 collapse of the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico to zinc creep inside cable spelter sockets. Zinc creep is the slow, gradual deformation of zinc under sustained load, which can weaken the connections holding the support cables. Over time this weakening reduced the structure's ability to bear its load. The failure ultimately caused the telescope's platform to fall into the dish below. The finding is based on the account reported in a Hacker News discussion linking to an article on the topic.

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