EARTHQUAKESWeek 2

EARTHQUAKES

What to explore this week:

Predictablity Linkages Disastrous consequences Impact of human activity Minimizing the impact

Earthquake Terminology

What causes earthquakes?

Elastic Rebound Sources of stress

Plate Tectonics Other stresses

Measurement Magnitude

one per earthquake related to energy released Richter or Moment scale

Intensity many for each

earthquake measure of

effects Mercalli scale

Damage: Causes Ground motion Duration of

Shaking Surface Rupture Poor building

design

Effects Rupture Death Bldg collapse

Effects Fires Liquifaction Landslides

Damage: Key

Factors Amount & duration of shaking Water content of soil Population concentration Building construction Distance from Epicenter Depth of focus Direction of rupture Material amplification

Addressing the Hazard

Identify areas at risk

Forecast

Addressing the Hazard

Structural adaptations

Warning systems

EARTHQUAKES In what ways are earthquakes

predictable? To what other hazards are earthquakes

linked? What are the potentially disastrous

consequences of earthquakes? In what ways has human activity made

earthquake hazards catastrophic? How can the hazardous consequences of

earthquakes be minimized?