Discuss the view that the impact of earthquake hazards depends primarily on human factors [40] An earthquake is a tremor or shockwave in the earth’s crust that is caused by the sudden movement of the crust, resulting in the earth shaking. Most earthquakes are a consequence of tectonic plate movement by tension causing a sudden release of energy or rubbing. These normally occur at plate margins or along fault lines and can cause hazards which need to be prevented where possible. Earthquakes can therefore occur at all plate boundaries, destructive, constructive and conservative but the most damaging tend to happen at destructive margins where the earthquakes have a high magnitude due to the rubbing of the oceanic and continental crusts. A hazard is a natural event that has the potential to effect both life and property.
Andre Rudenko 1/12/14 Why bother to learn about plate tectonics? Fifty-thousand or more people die or have serious injuries yearly from earthquakes and other geological events which are related to the plate tectonics theory. It is extremely important for students to understand this theory because the serious consequences. For example, one small movement of the internal plates creates strong earthquakes, or the heat under the layers give birth to volcanoes, so a few reasons to know about this are safety, inspiration, and knowledge. The most important reason is safety.
There are three main factors to consider when assessing the management of a tectonic event: prediction, preparation, and response. Earthquakes are very difficult to predict. However, just two years earlier, a report by US geologists concluded that an earthquake of minimum magnitude 7.0 would strike Haiti. The problem was that due to the imprecise nature of earthquake prediction, they could only narrow down the time scale to being within 30 years. The preparation in Haiti, however, was non-existent.
Unfortunately scientists aren’t able to tell if an earthquake is a foreshock until the larger earthquake occurs. The larger earthquake is called the main shock and constantly has aftershocks that follow it. Aftershocks are smaller earthquakes that occur in the same spot as the main shock. If the main earthquake is larger enough, the aftershocks can sometimes continue for weeks and months after the initial earthquake! (USGS) There are two types of faults called dip-slip faults and strike-slip faults.
Though these ranges continue to grow, they still remain vulnerable to oil spills, like the Valdez oil spill, which would eradicate entire colonies that take years to re-establish (Bodkin et al. 2002) The Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill was on March 24, 1989
Seismic Base Isolation Technique for Earthquake-Resistant Buildings At the Earth's surface, seismic waves cause the ground to shake and vibrate, sometimes violently. This can create enormous stresses for a building's structural elements. If those stresses are large enough, the building can collapse or get heavily damaged. “Every year, earthquakes take the lives of thousands of people, and destroy property worth billions.” (How Stuff Works Science) Many people have asked, is it possible to keep buildings upright during catastrophic earthquakes? Since earthquakes are unpreventable and unpredictable, the only option for us is to design and build buildings that are earthquake resistant.
Measures to manage the problem were efficiently introduced by the government, though much losses could be observed, including death of 9 people and high level of pollution in nearby areas. Natural hazard events in most cases cannot be predicted. Although some speculation of flood or drought may appear when precipitation anomalies occur and river water-levels vary, as well as earthquake may be preceded by anomalies in earth’s magnetic field, even with the use of technology it is impossible to predict those distasters. Many of them, similarly to human induced hazards, occur unexpectedly and cause long term damages, as it was in case of Haiti earthquake in 2010, however the scale is much
Lima, Peru Adversity can make a negative or positive impact on people’s lives. It really depends on how people take adversity. I agree with Horace’s assertion that adversity plays a positive role in the lives of various individuals because, Lima, Peru has faced many earthquakes but still have recovered and not let the natural disaster bring them down. Lima, Peru ‘s relative location is close to the coast and it’s relative location is east of Africa, North of North America and northeast from Europe. Peru has faced many earthquakes; Earthquakes form by plate tectonics rubbing against each other and because of all the earthquakes that happen in Lima Peru they have to really work hard and not let the natural disasters keep them from fighting
As a result, earthquakes can and do occur, notably on Luzon Island in 1990. It measured 7.8 on the Richter Scale and killed over 1500 people. A reason for this major difference in death rate compared to California is that the Philippines is poorer than California and so cannot afford as much earthquake-proof buildings and the buildings are of poor quality. This may mean the buildings can collapse easily and so can kill people easily. A natural hazard that does not affect California but common in the Philippines are tropical storms.
Causes and Effects of Greenland’s Ice Melt Scientists have been in debate for years over the existence of global warming, arising on the forefront of scientific concern at the turn of the century. Recently, however, many have been unable to deny the existence of the continual warming climate worldwide, and humans have been the cause. Greenhouse gases, which we continue to admit (ignoring the warnings from scientists) trap the sun’s heat and cause the glove to heat and a level faster than any before. Who cares? Global warming not only affects the darker suntan you get each summer, but the winters, the sea level, and the natural environment delicately teetering on the current balance of temperature.