What are the pros and cons of a brick foundation in a house?

I am not a structural engineer, but I would expect there is a way to make them earthquake safe. It may not be economical, depending on where you live, but it is very likely possible.

What kind of foundation you install depends on the soil you have where you want to build, what you are trying to build, and any applicable building codes. A structural engineer would be able to make recommendations on the best solution for your specific project.

Nothing is earthquake safe – some can be more “tremor” resistant. Usually it involves building with a sliding section between the building and the footing a sort “skid” system.

I guess what I mean is, how do they stack up against a concrete foundation? Should I avoid them altogether, or are they comparatively all right in an earthquake? Or generally, how do they stack up against concrete?

Avoid it

@PandoraBoxx I saw that too. But should I really be basing these kinds of decisions on some high schoolers report? It just seems like there must be something more to do about it. But maybe I just need to bring a contractor in to look at the specific situation.

The bricks are joined together with mortar, which means that everywhere the mortar is, is a potentially weak spot for the structure. This is true for bricks or concrete blocks, and why they run steel reinforcing rods into the space in concrete blocks and fill them with cement to reinforce the structure.

Brick as a foundation would need serious reinforcement.