Costa Rica Earthquake

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Second hand sources Investigation task

Costa Rica earth quake

(name and cause)

The Costa Rica earthquake occurred on September 12 2012 with a 7.6 magnitude. It was the second strongest earthquake in Costa Rica's history since the 1991 limon earthquake. So what was the cause of it? Costa Rica is known to lie directly above the subduction zone this is where the majority of the largest earthquakes occur, due to the subduction zones having a large area of lithospheric plates sliding against each other, and negative buoyancy force driving the plate consuming process ceaselessly. In Costa Rica’s case it occurred as an outcome of the thrust faulting on the plate interface.

(damaged caused, cost to the economy and deaths that resulted from the …show more content…

Some examples were:
Two people dying, one from a heart attack and another, a construction worker, crushed by a collapsing wall.
Buildings damaged, which included broken windows, cracks on walls, and materials detached from the buildings.
In total 169 houses were damaged. the Hospital Monseñor Sanabria in Puntarenas suffered damage, and the building partially closed. School classes were cancelled for one day in stricken areas and students evacuated.
Fifty-five thousand people deprived of running water in the provinces of Puntarenas and Guanacaste. Water tank in Filadelfia collapsed.
Power losses were reported in some areas in and around the capital city San José and in the Nicoya Peninsula and the Chira Island.
GSM and 3G services were interrupted in some places near the epicentre. And According to a preliminary estimation from the Costa Rican government, the earthquake caused a loss of about $22.36 billion.

(likely …show more content…

1. Rapid Altimeter Surveying of Prior Coastal Monuments – Barometric altimeter used to determine comparative pre & post-earthquake elevations of known survey monuments (e.g. coast geodetic survey "mojones", telephone poles, sign posts, etc.). These sites were measured rapidly to determine comparative elevations above present tide, previous high tide line, and highest high tide debris lines (along beach berm and/or inner edge of pocket beaches).

2. Reoccupation of Pre-Earthquake Beach Profile Survey Lines – Hand level, stadia rod, and tape measure used to survey coast-perpendicular beach profiles at sites that had been surveyed prior to the earthquake (over the past several years). These survey data provide comparative pre & post-earthquake elevation profiles relative to mean sea level (based on tidal levels at time of survey).

3. Surveying of Pre & Post-Earthquake High Tide Debris Lines - Hand level, stadia rod, and tape measure used to survey coast perpendicular beach profiles at new sites to determine elevation difference between the post-earthquake recent high tide debris lines (at time of survey) and pre-earthquake highest high tide debris line (along former beach berm or sea cliff inner

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