Natural disasters affect millions of people globally every day. Earthquakes are one of the most powerful natural disasters that inflict damage on our environment and in turn cost trillions of dollars every year. To respect the power of earthquakes we must first understand their cause, how they differ from biological energy, where they happen, the types of damage they cause, how we can predict them, and how we can safeguard ourselves against them. Living in known seismic zones is dangerous and can result in large financial and life losses.
Fryer states, "Earthquakes are caused by faulting, a sudden lateral or vertical movement of rock along a rupture (break) surface." These ruptures primarily occur at the edges of the seven large plates that make up the earth's outermost layer ("Earth floor"). The plates take their names from the continents or oceans that inhabit them such as the Pacific, Australian, Antarctic, Eurasian, North American, African, and South American plates ("Earth floor"). The plates float and move due to convection currents originating in the earth's core that move the plates in different directions ("Techtonic plates"). Due to the intense friction between plates, their movement is often stored as potential energy until the two plates shift and jerk causing the earth to shake (Wald).
The utilization of energy is similar between the natural energy of earthquakes and the biological energy of the food chain. Biological energy is often stored as potential energy as food and converted to kinetic energy when an organism uses that energy to perform work ("The energy story"). In the case of earthquakes, the movement of the plates against each other results in a buildup of potential energy (Wald). The plates convert the ...
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Techtonic plates. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.moorlandschool.co.uk/earth/tectonic.htm
The energy story - chapter 1: energy - what is it?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter01.html
The seismograph. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.leo.lehigh.edu/projects/seismic/seismograph.html
Tips on being prepared. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.lmu.edu/studentlife/studenthousing/earthquakesafety/Tips_on_Being_Prepared.htm
Types of damage caused by earthquakes. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.stfrancis.edu/content/ns/bromer/earthsci/student2/damage.htm
Wald, L. (n.d.). The science of earthquakes. Retrieved from http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/kids/eqscience.php
What is biological energy?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://web.mit.edu/~pweigele/www/being/content/what.html
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...
The author states that before the mega-quake actually hits, there is a compression wave that is detected by animals. It has received a wide debate as to the relationship between animals and the compression waves. It is said that animals start to react very strange and then two minutes later, there is a boom of a massive mega quake.
Carbon, Max W. Nuclear Power: Villain or Victim?: Our Most Misunderstood Source of Electricity. Second ed. Madison, WI: Pebble Beach, 1997.
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.
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...
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
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.
They are the earth’s crust; they move very slowly every year. As the tectonic plates slide over each other they cause earthquakes. Earthquakes produce various damaging effects this includes damage to structures of buildings, bridges and other standing formations which then...
March 17, 2014. Hinrichs, Roger ; Kleinbach, Merlin. Energy, Its Use and the Environment. 2013. The. Print.
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.
It is generally believed that there are 12 plates that make up the earth’s surface. The majority of these plates are a combination of oceanic and continental lithosphere, while the Nazca, Pacific and Juan de Fuca Plates are made up of mostly oceanic lithosphere. Most of the continents have their own plate or plates, with the exception of Europe and Asia, which share the massive Eurasian Plate. Along the edges of these plates there is a large occurrence of geologic activity. “Earthquakes and volcanoes, evidence of unrest in the Earth, help locate the edges of plates.” This unrest is caused by movement of the plates, which can be broken down into three general t...
The basic science is pretty straightforward. The earth lurches from time to time because its outer shell is broken into huge, solid plates floating on a layer of molten rock that has the consistency of Silly Putty. These tectonic plates are constantly jostling each other, like rafts crowded into a small pond, and its along the boundaries where they meet that most quakes are born.
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).
Web. 07 Dec. 2011. . Alternative Energy - ProCon.org. Web.