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Physical and human impacts of earthquakes
Earthquakes and their effects
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Earthquake is the earth tremor that results from the sudden release of the pent-up energy in the earth’s crust. This released energy creates the seismic waves that determine the frequency, type and size of the earthquakes. Any earthquakes whose magnitude is bellow 5 on the Richter scale is considered weak, while the earthquakes whose magnitude is above 7on the Richter scale is considered potentially dangerous. The largest earthquake ever register in the history of man is the earthquake in Japan in 2011 which had a magnitude of 9.0 on the Mercalli scale(Seeram, pars. 4-5). While most earthquakes are causes by seismic events on the earth’s crust, these can be accelerated by natural events, or the activities of the human beings. For example, when the geological faults lines rapture, pressure is created in the earth’s crust forcing its way out thereby causing a break or sliding along the fault line. Volcanic activities are also known to cause earthquakes and so are nuclear test, bombs and landslides. The hypocenter is the initial point from which the raptures occur, while the epicenters is the ground directly above the hypocenter (Zacharias,, sec. A)
Tectonic plates
Tectonics of the Kopet Dagh and the surrounding regions.
One of the key outstanding features of the Kopet Dagh area is the mountain range found between Iran and Turkmenistan. The mountain range covers over 660km along the border of the two countries starting from the Caspian Sea to the western part of the Murghab depression (Seeram, pars. 4-5). The peak of the mountain is estimated at 2900 and lies in the southwestern part of the country. On the foothills of Kopet-Dag, lies the capital city of Turkmenistan-
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the Ashgabat. The tectonic movements on the area i...
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SOCIAL RAMIFICATIONS
Loss of both property and life were the main outcomes of the earthquakes. Obvert 110,000 people lost their lives, while the whole country was affected in one way or the other. Property was damaged, and infrastructure was destroyed. The country experienced a six-day blackout as diseases took over due to lack of clean drinking water and damaged farmlands leading to draught. While the disaster was ravaging, the country has not done much apart from teaching people how to behavior during disaster. The country’s nuclear atomic bomb testing program has been put on hold (Zacharias, sec. C). One of the most important things is that the country received a lot of donation and food aids from international countries such as and financial support from the US, UK, and other major economies to help improve its economy and infrastructure after the disaster
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.
Earthquakes are a natural part of the Earth’s evolution. Scientific evidence leads many geologists to believe that all of the land on Earth was at one point in time connected. Because of plate tectonic movements or earthquakes, continental drift occurred separating the one massive piece of land in to the seven major continents today. Further evidence supports this theory, starting with the Mid-Atlantic ridge, a large mass of plate tectonics, which are increasing the size of the Atlantic Ocean while shrinking the Pacific. Some scientists believe that the major plate moveme...
Imagine if a 9.0 earthquake struck the West Coast today, resulting in a giant tsunami. Coastal towns would be washed away or completely isolated, and electricity would be lost (FOX5). There would be $70 billion in damage and people would only have 15 minutest to evacuate or move to higher ground resulting in 10,000 deaths (FOX5). This sounds like a plot for a scary movie, but this is actually a reality. The Oregon Coast in located on a subduction zone, which makes it very susceptible to major earthquakes and tsunamis. With the Cascadia subduction zone running along he West Coast the threat of a major tsunami is very real.
1906 San Francisco Earthquake Jared E. Gatchalian San Jose State University. 1906 San Francisco Earthquake The 1906 San Francisco earthquake was one of the largest earthquakes in the United States. Even though it only lasted less than a minute, the damage and aftermath of the earthquake were disastrous. These damages were not just from the earthquake, but also from other hazards that occurred because of it. It also had a huge effect on the people living in San Francisco.
On January 12, 2010, while vacationing in Santo Domingo, DR. Tragedy hit and my strong foundation no longer stood. An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 shook and uprooted homes, places of business and my sense of peace. After hearing news of the earthquake, I rush to Port-au-Prince to check on my family. I was reassured that my family was secured and had no life threatening injuries, but the same was not said to my grandparent’s neighbor. Their neighbor suffered from a head injury and deep laceratio...
The science of the natural disaster has baffled many, but from studying the San Francisco earthquake, scientists have made a number of important discoveries and they have a better understanding of earthquakes. At 5:12 on a fateful April morning in 1906, the mammoth Pacific and North American plates sheared at an incredible twenty-one feet along the San Andreas fault, surpassing the annual average of two inches (“San Francisco Earthquake of 1906”)(“The Great 1906 Earthquake and Fires”). The shearing caused a loud rumble in the Californian city of San Francisco. A few seconds later, the destructive earthquake occurred. The ground shifted at almost five feet per second, and the shaking could be felt all the way from southern Oregon to southern Los Angeles to central Nevada (“Quick”)(“The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake”). Moreover, the earthquake could be recorded on a seismograph in Capetown, South Africa, an astounding 10,236 miles away from San Francisco (“San Francisco ea...
From studying the science behind the San Francisco earthquake, scientists have made a number of important discoveries involving how earthquakes function. At 5:12 on a fateful April morning in 1906, the mammoth Pacific and North American plates sheared each other at an incredible twenty-one feet along the San Andreas fault, surpassing the annual average of two inches (“San Francisco Earthquake of 1906”) (“The Great 1906 Earthquake and Fires”). A few seconds later, the destructive earthquake occurred. The ground shifted at almost five feet per second, and the shaking could be felt all the way from southern Oregon to southern Los Angeles to central Nevada (“Quick”) (“The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake”). In fact, the earthquake could be registered in a seismograph on Capetown, South Africa, an astounding 10,236 miles away...
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...
What have they learned since the quake quite allot. The fault moved in a fashion that geologists of
The earth is split into four layers, inner and outer core, the mantle and crust. The top of the mantle and crust make up what is like the skin of our earth (see source 2). The skin is split up like a puzzle and we call these puzzle pieces’ tectonic plates (see source 1). These plates are constantly moving and the plate boundaries (edges of the plates) move and slide past one another. Sometimes as the plates move the plate boundaries become stuck. Pressure builds up in the stuck area over time and eventually breaks. This is why earthquakes occur due to the sudden movement of the plate sliding and breaking creating a fault line to go off. The fault line is the line on which the
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is located in southern Asia. It is a landlocked country. The nations that boarder Afghanistan are Pakistan to the East and South, Iran to the West, and Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to the North. The country also shares a minor board with China, which measures only 76 kilometers long. It is the 41st largest country in the world, covering approximately 652,000 square kilometers. The geography varies widely within its borders. The lowest elevation is 258 meters above sea level while its tallest peak reaches 7,485 meters. The majority of the terrain is rugged mountains with a semi-arid to arid climate, with pockets of arable lowlands that comprise approximately twelve percent of the country’s landmass (cia.gov). The most significant mountain range is the Hindu Kush in the north east of the country. Temperatures vary widely between seasons and altitudes. In the Capital city of Kabul temperatures can fall well below zero Fahrenheit in the winter and average 90o F in the hottest months. Areas at lower elevations maintain an average over 100o F in the summer (“Afghanistan Profile” 6). Historically, the harsh winters and summers dictate the peak fighting seasons of spring and fall.
On March 11 2:46pm the pacific coast of Japan experienced an earthquake reading a 9.0 on the Richter scale. Within less than an hour a tsunami crashed against the coast 10 kilometers inland destroying millions of buildings leading to the death of 19,000 citizens (“Fukushima Accident” World Nuclear Association. July 2016, World-nuclear.org, 27 October 2016). At the time a total of eleven nuclear reactors were operating at four different locations Fukushima Daiichi, Fukushima Daini, Tohoku's Onagawa, and Japco's Tokai. Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is 250 kilometers northeast of Tokyo. Operating 6 different nuclear reactors. At the time only three were completely functional; reactor units 1, 2 and 3. Reactors 4, 5 6 were not operational. Our main purpose is to understand how the reactors responded to the earthquake and after the tsunami hit. We also want to understand whether or not the release of radioactive elements into the Pacific Ocean has any severe and chronic impact on marine life.
The Japan disaster was devastating, and it had an abundance of causes and effects. The nuclear disaster, the tsunami, and the earthquake were the causes of the disaster in Japan. In addition, the disaster had countless effects on the land and people in Japan. The disaster in Japan was as devastating and tragic as 9/11. Both events took a great number of lives and left their country shocked, but prepared them for anything similar that might happen in the future. Knowing the causes and effects of Japan’s disaster can prepare other people and countries around the world for a comparable disaster.
Earthquakes are vibrations felt at the surface of the earth which are caused by disturbances of the energy in the earth's interior. These vibrations are known as seismic waves. (Skinner Robinson McVerry 1) There are different type sof seisimc waves such as Primary (P) waves, whcih travel the fastest, Secondary (S) waves which cause the earth to vibrate vertically, Surface (L) waves. P and S waves are "affected by changes in the density and the rigidity of the materials through which they pass." (Columbia Encyclopedia) Earthquakes vary in their intensity and duration. Often times they are strong enough to cause massive destriction. Tall buildings often suffer as a result of these natural disasters. In recent years this has become a larger and larger threat with both the number of large buildings, and their number of occupants increasing. In an effort to try to minimize the damage caused by earthquakes many some engineers focus primarily on designing and constructing earthquake resistant buildings. Earthquake engineers have gathered much of their information from analyzing past earthquakes, and learning which buildings can and can't withstand the tremors. The goals of these engineers is to design buildings that can withstand moderate earthquakes and obtain minimal damage, and that the buildings will not collapse lowering the probability of human deaths.
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).