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Causes and effects of earthquakes
Earthquakes cause and effect in envirenment
Causes and effects of earthquakes
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On December 16, 1811, at roughly 2:15 a.m., the most powerful earthquake ever to hit the eastern United States struck Northeast Arkansas. Clocking in at a presumed 8.0 on the richter scale, the first of three major earthquakes form the New Madrid fault made itself known. This quake, and the two subsequent quakes following shortly after, caused some of the most intense damage and events ever recorded in U.S. history. The quakes were felt in Montreal, Boston, and even the White House. Events such as soil liquefaction and reversal in the flow of the Mississippi river are just a few of many glimpses into the absolute power of earthquakes. In this exploratory paper, I will review the three main quakes, along with their aftermath both
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It is not foreign for the New Madrid zone to quake. Geologist Martitia Tuttle, who has been investigating the faults says “Some had archaeological sites on top of them with 2,000-year-old artifacts,” Tuttle goes on to say. “There’s no way the New Madrid earthquakes were a one-time freak event.” The Midwest had been slammed by violent quakes around A.D. 1450 and 900 and 2350 B.C.—and probably more often (Rusch). Over the past 4,500 years, the region was most likely visited by multiple quakes of 7.0 or more. Big groups of earthquakes have been discovered, dating back to ancient times.There have been more quakes to hit this region after the 1811-12 disaster, one hit Lepanto, Arkansas, in January 5 of 1843. Another 6.7 quake shook Charleston, Missouri, in October of 1895. So, why are such earthquakes hitting so far from a tectonic plate boundary? Why are they so powerful? Their power comes from the material around the New Madrid zone. The materials in the earth are not accustomed to such shakes, and therefore the rock is not equipped to absorb the shocks of the earthquakes. This is why they were felt in such a wide range of areas. Many theories have been put forth as to what actually sparked these earthquakes in this zone, but none have been fully accepted as true. It has been put forth that a hot spot under the area is to blame, because it is melting the earth’s crust in …show more content…
on December 16, 1811. This central quake that started off in the early morning was reportedly due to "slippage along the Cottonwood Grove Fault in northeastern Arkansas."(Rafferty). Though it is stated that it arose in Northeastern Arkansas, eyewitness accounts state that it woke up citizens in Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and South Carolina. Throughout the next two days, aftershocks registering as high 7.0 rocked the land. Damage to civilian structures was minimal, due to the lack of population in these areas. Instances of damage were reported though, such as "collapsing chimneys, falling trees, and cracking timbers in houses"( Rafferty). While a few areas got raised, a number of regions fell into the earth. Water filled newly opened fissures, mainly from nearby wetlands, while areas not near wetlands were whetted by waters from the mighty Mississippi. Soil liquefaction was not left out in this mighty demonstration of geologic power, as it "caused large sand blows that fouled farmland in Missouri, Tennessee, and Arkansas."(Rafferty). Eyewitnesses say that trees along the Mississippi River fell in and were swept away, mainly because of loosened soil. Boats were thrown onto the land and swept under by the roaring, disturbed waters. The earthquake even erased an entire lake from existence. Uplift of over 3 meters was reported at one locality several hundred kilometers to the southwest of the epicentral zone where a lake formed by
The Long Point Fault is located in Harris County, which covers 83,450 square miles located with in Houston, Teaxas City Limits. Research specifies that there are three sections of the Long Point fault that appear to be active; some sections of the Long Point fault have averaged more than 2 cm per year of vertical offset over the last 20 years. Evidence of the faults concludes it is a natural fault. The reason for activity is not caused by man, even though man’s activities are not helping the issues, but clearly humans are not the initial cause, biological activity can be in fact an adiitional cause for its movement. A brief description of the type of fault and its relationship with the strata and the faults beneath the Houston area, are at depths of 1,000 to 4,000 m. They have been well-defined through the study of well logs and seismic lines. Studies have resuted in assumuptions that some of these subsurface faults penetrate younger sediments at shallower depths, and contain faults that have of set the present land surface to produce recognizable scarps. (Gabrysh)
Tectonic plate movement can occur as close as two and up to 450 miles below the Earth’s surface. According to the Indiana Geological Survey, Indiana’s fault lines are further underground than those in California and Alaska, causing more minor quakes in the Midwest. However, Hoosiers should heed the recent earthquake as a warning for future quakes. Earthquakes can and do happen in Indiana, and almost anywhere else in the world. This is the one natural disaster that people cannot avoid no matter their location on Earth. And, being unprepared can have devastating results.
Most of Arizona’s earthquakes are associated with the San Andreas fault as most of Arizona’s earthquakes are shocks from epicenters located in California. Arizona has had earthquakes with epicenters located in its borders and just like the ones located near the San Andreas fault, they are linked to a transform plate boundary and are dip-slip earthquakes. Much of the focus of these earthquakes can be centered around the Grand Canyon as much of the after-effects of these earthquakes caused phenomenons to occur in the Grand Canyon. Many rockslides took place in the Grand Canyon and plenty of the cracks found in the canyon’s rock layers are attributed to some of the earthquakes that took place in Arizona since the geologic landscape formed its current
With the recent earthquakes in California, many are worried about the next earthquake that could be the potential “big” one that many geologists have been predicting for many years. The Cascadia subduction zone is also known as the CSZ megathrust fault. It is roughly 1000km long, a dipping fault that stretches from the Northern Vancouver Islands to Cape Mendocino, California. The zone passes through British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and into California. The Cascadia region has experienced several types of earthquakes and it is very likely to experience similar quakes in the near future.
Earthquakes in California are certainly not a surprise. What is a surprise is their unpredictability and randomness. Geologists say there is roughly a 50 percent chance that a magnitude 8 or more quake will hit the Los Angeles area sometime over the next 30 years. And, over the past twenty years, the Los Angeles area has witnessed several earthquakes, and in particular, two that were quite devastating; the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, and the January 17, 1994, Northridge Earthquake. Given the certainty that earthquakes will occur, they still seem to come as a surprise, and leave many communities unprepared to deal with their aftermath.
Heller, Arnie. "The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake." Science & Technology (2006): 4-12. Web. 8 May 2014.
Earthquakes are best described as a shaking or vibration of the ground caused by breaking of rock. Sometimes they are very strong and other times you would hardly notice them. This shaking occurs when stress that builds up in the crust is suddenly released as the crust breaks free and/or slides against the other pieces of crust. Earthquakes may also be thought of as the breaking of a popsicle stick by applying pressure to both ends at the same time. Should you try this experiment , you will feel the pressure build up as you apply more force until the stick snaps. When the stick snaps you will feel an instant of pain at your fingers as the stress reduces and energy waves move throughout the stick. When the earth's crust is placed under similar types of stress, binding as the stress builds, it will also snap and release the energy into the surrounding rocks, 'ooch'. Thinking about earthquakes will become more clear if you try another experiment.
Ten million California residents who lived closely from the major fault lines could have been endangered in many extreme ways. (House, 56). A tragic thing was that after the earthquake a multitudes of fire followed right after. The situation led to the water mains being destroyed and the firefighter being left with no water to settle the growing fire which continued blazing. The bay water was planned on putting all of the dure out but it was to far in distance to be able to transport it (Earthquake of 1906, 2). The firefighters who were putting out the fire were either surrounded or being burned by the fire that was blazing in all directions (San Francisco Earthquake, 2). A resident who was present during the event mention that he/she saw men and women standing in a corner of a building praying, one person who became delirious by the horrific ways that were surrounding him while crying and screaming at the top of his lungs “the Lord sent it, the Lord”. Someone also mentioned that they experience themselves seeing Stones fall from the sky and crushing people to death. Reporters say there were 100 cannons going off (San Francisco Earthquake, 3). People who lived fifty miles away from the fire was able to “read the newspaper at
The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake hit the Northern California coastline. The San Andreas fault shook 296 miles of the coast causing major damage throughout San Francisco, destroying about 80% of the city. Fires broke out throughout the city that lasted for several days. This was one of the worst Earthquakes recorded in history, killing 3,000 people.("The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake")
Before examining the Northridge event, understanding the naturally occurring hazard that is an earthquake will help to better understand exactly what happened and why it was such an important geological event. With four distinct layers, two layers, the crust and upper portion of the mantle, compose the skin that is the surface layer of the Earth. The crust is not a single, continuous piece. It is actually several different pieces, or plates, that come together to form the puzzle that comprises the surface of the Earth. These plates are in constant motion rubbing against one another. These areas, known as fault lines, where the plates rub up against one another have spots where one plate ”gets stuck while the rest of the plate keeps moving. When the plate has moved far enough, the edges unstick and is how most of the earthquakes around the world occur” (Wald, 2012). The energy stored from the friction of the two plate...
benchmark for the future, and integrated investigation into the effects of earthquakes in the U.S.
There was a massive earthquake in San Francisco during the year of 1906. The country of United States went through great loss because of this massacre. Nearly 250,000 people had become homeless as the result of this great earthquake. Winchester pointed out the question: How unprepared was America when this disaster hit? He compared the San Francisco earthquake to the Katrina hurricane in 2005.
"The Great Quake: 1906-2006 / Rising from the Ashes." SFGate. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2014.
In Heinrich von Kleist’s, The Earthquake in Chile, illustrates the story of star-crossed lovers brought together through a natural disaster. The description of the earthquake presents itself as a scene from hell. The relation between the destructiveness of the earthquake and the image of hell of apocalyptic literature presents the end of the world for the people of Chile. Kleist uses imagery to portray post earthquake Chile as the Garden Eden, the presence of a pomegranate tree symbolizes the start a new life and foreshadows the inevitable end for Josepha and Jeronimo. By introducing a pomegranate tree , Kleist frames the effects of the earthquake as an opportunity for and altruistic community. The symbolism of the pomegranate tree in the “Garden of Eden” symbolizes fertility for the rebirth of the Chilean community. Heinrich von Kleist’s, The Earthquake in Chile, presents the destructiveness of an earthquake as a transition from the image of hell to an opportunity to rebuild the community.
Earthquakes belong to the class of most disastrous natural hazards. They result in unexpected and tremendous earth movements. These movements results from dissemination of an enormous amount of intense energy in form of seismic waves which are detected by use of seismograms. The impact of earthquakes leaves behind several landmarks including: destruction of property, extensive disruption of services like sewer and water lines, loss of life, and causes instability in both economic and social components of the affected nation (Webcache 2).