Earthquakes Essay examples - 663 Words

What is an Earthquake? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;An Earthquake is the shaking of the earths surface caused by rapid movement of the earths rocky outer layer. The sudden shaking of the ground that occurs when masses of rock change position below the Earths surface is called an earthquake. The shifting masses send out shock waves that may be powerful enough to alter the surface of the Earth, thrusting up cliffs and opening great cracks in the ground. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Earthquakes, called temblors by scientists, occur almost continuously. Fortunately, most of them can be detected only by sensitive instruments called seismographs. Others are felt as small tremors. Some of the rest, however, cause major catastrophes. They†¦show more content†¦nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Although it is certain that violent Earth tremors in themselves are destructive, there are often other kinds of Earth movements that are triggered by earthquake shock waves. Thus, the violent shaking that accompanies many earthquakes often causes rockslides, snow avalanches, and landslides. In some areas these events are frequently more devastating than the Earth tremor itself. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Floods and fires are also caused by earthquakes. Floods arise from tsunamis along coast lines, from large-scale seiches in enclosed bodies of water such as lakes and canals, and from the failure of dams. Fire produced the greatest property loss following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, when 521 blocks in the city center burned uncontrollably for three days. Fire also followed the 1923 Tokyo earthquake, causing much damage and hardship for the citizens. Causes nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Most of the worst earthquakes are associated with changes in the shape of the Earths outermost shell, particularly the crust. These so called tectonic earthquakes are generated by the rapid release of strain energy that is stored within the rocks of the crust, which on continents is about 22 miles thick. A small proportion of earthquakes are associated with human activity. Dynamite or atomic explosions, for example, can sometimes cause mild quakes. The injection of liquid wastes deep into the Earth and the pressuresShow MoreRelatedEarthquake : Earthquakes And Earthquakes Essay1854 Words   |  8 PagesEarthquake is defined as â€Å" a series of vibrations induced in the earth s crust by the abrupt rupture and rebound of rocks in which elastic strain has been slowly accumulating.† in dictionary.com. In other word earthquake is crust release energy caused by shaking and plate tectonics are suddenly move.It may cause people injuryed and economic losses. Earth s surface crust is called lithosphere. The earth s crust ruptured by the force of dislocation caused by rapid surface vibrations called seismicRead MoreEarthquake Of The Sichuan Earthquake1203 Words   |  5 PagesThe Sichuan Earthquake also known as Wenchuan Earthquake occurred on May 12th, 2008. The horrific earthquake was located in the mountainous dominant region of Sichuan, south-western China. The earthquake was measured to have a magnitude of 8.0 by the Chinese. The quake affected four-fifths of the buildings located in the area. Towns, villages and schools had collapsed and had been destroyed. Close to 90,000 people were tallied as missing or dead. The Chinese Government report stated that more thanRead MoreAn Earthquake Of The Francisco Earthquake984 Words   |  4 Pages21 October 2015 1906 San Francisco Earthquake An earthquake is the vibration of the Earth produced by the rapid release of energy. Most earthquakes occur at a plate boundary, usually along the Circum-Pacific belt. They tend to be caused by the slippage along large fracture in the Earth’s crust, such as a fault for example. However, they can also occur from a volcanic eruption, or an atomic explosion. There are two different types of shocks to a major earthquake; there is a foreshock and an aftershockRead MoreEarthquakes : Volcanoes And Earthquakes1313 Words   |  6 PagesVolcanoes and Earthquakes are Sisters, Not Twins Volcanoes and Earthquakes are two of the most intriguing natural disasters that can occur on earth. Unlike hurricanes and tornadoes, they can awaken at almost any point in time throughout the year. These two natural disasters are also different from others because they occur on the layers of the earth itself. Volcanoes, while large to us, are actually small, conical patches of earth that spurt and ooze hot molten lava from the core, and can destroyRead MoreEarthquake : The Seddon Earthquake2165 Words   |  9 Pagesand only 45 being over magnitude 4. (see image 2). From the earthquake features discussed, we can see that despite the Seddon earthquake having a greater magnitude and similar type of fault movement, it was the fact that the Christchurch earthquake carried a lot more power and force with its initial ground movement and shaking, and its continual aftershocks, that the effects of this earthquake were much worse than the Seddon earthquake. Read MoreThe Earthquake Of Nepal Earthquake1914 Words   |  8 PagesEarthquakes are destructive natural disasters that have the potential to occur. Earthquakes greatly impact various locations around the world. Generally, earthquakes typically only last for a few brief moments but they can greatly impact a society. One of which include the Nepal Earthquake of April 25,2015. This particular earthquake flattened large parts of the capital Kathmandu and also, caused destruction throughout the already improvised Himalayan nation. The earthquake in Nepal was the mostRead MoreThe Earthquake Of Christchurch Earthquake2405 Words   |  10 Pages impact, recovery, responses and future steps of the 2011 M6.3 Earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. Helena (Jiahui) Zhang 250641678 November 18 2014 Geography 2152F Mark Moscicki Table of Contents 1.0 Description of Event 2 2.0 Causes 3 3.0 Impacts 5 4.0 Responses 7 5.0 Recovery 8 6.0 Suggestions for future steps 10 7.0 Bibliography 11 1.0 Description of the Event The Christchurch earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 (Ritcher scale) hit New Zealand’s secondRead MoreEarthquakes Disasters Caused By Earthquakes1564 Words   |  7 PagesEarthquakes are an unfortunate consequence of, well, living on earth. While other hazards such as volcanos, tornados, floods, and wild fires all have clear visual indications that allow for us humans to get away from them, earthquakes are much more insidious than the aforementioned disasters because they have no such indicator and the damage they inflict is near instantaneous. Luckily for us humans, seismologists have spent a good portion of the 20th century finding out why earthquakes occur, howRead MoreThe Great Chilean Earthquake : An Earthquake1508 Words   |  7 PagesThe Great Chilean Earthquake An earthquake is the shaking of the earth by seismic waves radiating away from the disturbance, most commonly fault movement. The great Chilean earthquakes origin was of the coast of Chile at a subduction zone, referred to as a hot spot for seismic activity. A subduction zone is a region on the crust of the earth where two tectonics plate meet one another. The area where the two plates meet is called a plate boundary. When two plates meet at a subduction zone, they convergeRead MoreWind, Earthquake And Its Effect On The Earthquake Essay905 Words   |  4 Pages Unlike wind, earthquake is a different phenomenon which generates a ground motion. The intensity or acceleration of the earthquake depends upon the magnitude and location of its epicenter. The seismic waves caused by the earthquake cause inertial forces in the building. The inertial forces are created when an outside force tries to move a body in rest which happens in this case as seismic waves tries the move the building in rest. We all know that when a building is subjected to inertial forces