The Physical and Human Factors Which Affect the Location and the Impact of the Earthquake Hazard
Earthquakes are natural hazards that have occurred since the dawn of
time. They are products of the Earth's ever-changing face and lead to
the movement of the world's tectonic plates. An earthquake is a hazard
resulting from major geological processes and the release of energy
within the earth leading to catastrophic incidents such as earthquake
and volcanic eruptions. The effects of earthquakes can have
considerable damage to the physical and human environments and the
impact and location of an earthquake can alter the damage of the
process.
Earthquakes are most likely to occur at the boundaries of the
lithospheric plates. They occur from movements along fractures in
rocks called faults. Movements occur along the faults because of the
stress put upon the area due to crystal movement, the stress is not
released gradually but it builds up and becomes so great until the
rocks are forced to shift suddenly along the fault. Once the fault
moves the shock waves produced results into an earthquake, the point
of break is called the focus.
The physical factors that effect the location and impact of the
earthquake can have a large impact upon the hazards the process
causes. The location of the earthquake is most likely to occur at
plate margins thus if a settlement is located alongside these plate
margins it is more likely that they are going to receive earthquakes
than settlements not located upon the plate margins. The city of San
Francisco located above the San Andreas Fault is one of the most
earthquake prone cities in the world and receives small earthquakes
everyday. The location of the focus is also very decisive when
considering the impact that the earthquake might yield, if the focus
is located far below ground then the shock waves will be absorbed by
the ground and the impact that the earthquake will have will be
minimal. But if the focus is located several meters below ground such
as during the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 then the impact will be
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.
Regina:The Early Years. (2014). Cyclone of 1912. Regina: The Early Years 1880 -1950. Retrieved March 7, 2014, from http://scaa.usask.ca/gallery/regina/central/cyclone.html
New Madrid earthquake of 1811-1812 was known to be “one of the most powerful earthquake felt throughout the Eastern United State”(2,75) . “December 16, 1811 at 2 a.m”(1). , the first earthquake had struck in the Northern part of Arkansas through Missouri. “This earthquake occurred in Central Mississippi Valley”(2,2) . New Madrid fault is located in the northern part of Missouri and southern part of Illinois. On the morning of December 16, 1811, when the earthquake struck; “people were scared”(10,26) , they ran out of their houses as the trees were falling onto the ground and the ground was breaking up. After the earthquake ended, around 7 a.m., one of the largest aftershock occurred and it was known to be a destructive shock because
An earthquake is a rapid and sudden tremors of the earth crust as a result of energy stored and released from the rocks (Phyllis 12). The great Lisbon Earthquake in November 1st 1755 would be one such natural phenomenon that marks a great earthquake history (Luiz, Carlos and Joab 07). This paper is therefore a report about the great Lisbon Earthquake and the events associated with its occurrence.
Problem Statement: Earthquakes are a natual part of the environment. They do,however,cause devistating effect on the environment. Since Earthquakes can not be avoided, maybe there is a way to determine when they are going to occur so precautions can be taken to get people to safety and protect as much of
Hazards pose risk to everyone. Our acceptance of the risks associated with hazards dictates where and how we live. As humans, we accept a certain amount of risk when choosing to live our daily lives. From time to time, a hazard becomes an emergent situation. Tornadoes in the Midwest, hurricanes along the Gulf Coast or earthquakes in California are all hazards that residents in those regions accept and live with. This paper will examine one hazard that caused a disaster requiring a response from emergency management personnel. Specifically, the hazard more closely examined here is an earthquake. With the recent twenty year anniversary covered by many media outlets, the January 17, 1994, Northridge, California earthquake to date is the most expensive earthquake in American history.
On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia was lost due to structural failure in the left wing. On take-off, it was reported that a piece of foam insulation surrounding the shuttle fleet's 15-story external fuel tanks fell off of Columbia's tank and struck the shuttle's left wing. Extremely hot gas entered the front of Columbia's left wing just 16 seconds after the orbiter penetrated the hottest part of Earth's atmosphere on re-entry. The shuttle was equipped with hundreds of temperature sensors positioned at strategic locations. The salvaged flight recorded revealed that temperatures started to rise in the left wing leading edge a full minute before any trouble on the shuttle was noted. With a damaged left wing, Columbia started to drag left. The ships' flight control computers fought a losing battle trying to keep Columbia's nose pointed forward.
Due to the hazard that earthquakes cause, a hazard consultant becomes a critical part of
Factors such as lost or damage of lives, property, financial districts, and necessary needs are considered in which determines the hazards that pose the most threat to specific location.
An earthquake of magnitude 7.0 hit the island of Haiti on January 12, 2010, killing anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 people, injuring another 300,000 others, and leaving over 1.5 million without homes (Fleddermann, 2012, p.116). The majority of the destruction and human toll occurred in Port au Prince, the capital city of Haiti, although the effects of the earthquake were spread throughout the island. Aside from the many people who died, were injured, or left homeless, those involved in this disaster are the Haitian government, the United Nations, civil engineers, the press, relief organizations, and the United States. Although initially perceived as simply a natural disaster, it becomes apparent through further research that the degree of loss experienced might have been lessened if certain procedures and codes were in place and followed to increase the safety and integrity of the buildings in Haiti.
The effects caused by earthquakes are devastating. They cause loss of human life and have effects on infrastructure and economy. Earthquakes can happen at any time anywhere. In January 12, 2010 an earthquake of a magnitude of 7.0 hit the nation of Haiti. An estimation of 316,000 people were killed, and more than 1.3 million Haitians were left homeless (Earthquake Information for 2010). Haiti was in a terrified chaos. After the earthquake, families were separated because many of the members were killed. Homes, schools, and hospitals were demolished. People lost their most valuable belongings. It will take time for the country to recover from this terrible disaster. The long damages are economic issues, health-state, and environmental issues that effect in the beautiful island of Haiti.
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 produce various damaging effects to the areas they act upon. This includes damage to buildings and in worst cases the loss of human life. The effects of the rumbling produced by earthquakes usually leads to the destruction of structures such as buildings, bridges, and dams. They can also trigger landslides. Earthquakes have varied effects, including changes in geologic features, damage to man-made structures, and impact on human and animal life.
Authorities have attempted to implement codes or regulations, but that has proved to be very difficult tasks becasue there are many variables that effect the dynamic response of buildings. One way to try to avoid disaster is to evaluate seismic risk is to look at a buildings hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and location. Hazards are, for example, landslides ad soil type. Exposure is a building's occupancy and function. Vulnerability is the expected performance of a building's system, and location is how often earthquakes occur in the area. (Lagorio)
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).