Category: Earthquake

The three tectonic boundaries are divergent, convergent, and transform. A divergent boundary is when two tectonic plates move away from each other. If the plates moving away are oceanic, this may cause sea-floor spreading, which is the creation of new sea floor. As a result of how likely this occurs, continental plates tend to be older. Transform boundaries have the ability to create earthquakes. These are when plates slide past each other. Unlike divergent boundaries, convergent plates move towards each other. As a result, when both of the plates are continental, one of the two may rise from underneath the other and create what soon would develop to be the peak of a mountain. The 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami occurred on March 11, 2011 in Tohoku; 81 miles under the North Pacific Ocean, and east to the city of Sendai, Miyagi, the largest city in the Tohoku region, which is to the northeast of the island of Honshu. As a result of the earthquake activity, we may hypothesize the boundary was either transform, or convergent between an oceanic crust and a continental one. The earthquake started when in a subduction zone at the Japan Trench, the Pacific Plate and the Okhotsk Plate, part of the Eurasian Plate which geologists say is originally part of the North American Plate, collided, and the Pacific Plate subducted the Okhotsk microplate. Also, if a continental and an oceanic plate were to collide, as the oceanic crust is heavier, it would go underneath the continental crust, and therefore, allow volcanoes to form, and earthquakes to generate.

An earthquake is the sudden trembling of the ground. Houses shake, and house items may fall. These include roofs of houses, and even furniture inside the house. It may destroy the homes of many, cause the deaths of the people, and even have them trapped by those objects which fall as a result of the shaking. The event may happen when two plates slide past each other, and the friction between their contact may create the trembling. This may also happen when a continental plate and an oceanic crust collide, which was the case during this major event. The 2011 Japan earthquake had a magnitude of 9.0 and was felt by the people for about 3 to 5 minutes. Tsunamis, like earthquakes, can also inundates people’s homes and cause them to die by drowning, or getting hit by the floating rubble. A tsunami occurs when water is displaced by underwater earthquakes, volcanic activity, or landslides. Types of erosion caused by tsunamis would be the eroding of soil, vegetation, and the pieces of broken houses by water and bringing them into the sea. When the tsunami waves hit the shore, they were at a height of 6.6 feet, and even managed to wash 5,000 tons of debris out to other countries such as the United States, and Canada, where Japanese structures such as docks and their everyday items reached foreign shores.

Natural disasters often cause the destruction of homes and the loss of lives. They leave many homeless without any of their possessions, and earthquakes may trap others under their houses. As a result of the accident, over 120,000 building were fully destroyed, therefore, causing 15,894 deaths, leaving over 2,500 people missing, and as of 2017, 50,000 people still had short-termed shelter. The total cost from the accident was calculated by the World Bank to be over $235 billion dollars. After natural disasters occur, money is allotted by the government especially for the reconstruction of buildings, and a cleanup of the area damaged. Often, a center for registering missing people is also set up, and the government may assist homeless families in finding shelter. Another of the major negative results of the event was when the earthquake and the tsunami shut down nuclear power stations in Tohoku, damaged the backup generator of the station called Fukushima Daiichi, and caused the system to overheat, therefore, melting the pipes and causing holes on the station, which lead to explosions and a release of radiation.

To increase awareness of natural disasters such as these and prepare for the next event, people may read educational guides on what to do in case of an emergency, and even form safety plans of evacuation with their families. They may also have a toolkit with their most important possessions just in case they need to quickly leave their homes. Residents near areas of danger, when warned, should not underestimate the possible danger. Also, those who receive alert of a tsunami in their region, should move to higher ground as soon as possible. To prepare better for any future catastrophes, Japan delivered a new tsunami warning system, engineers tried finding a way in which buildings could be more resistible to both tsunamis and earthquakes, and worldwide researchers put sensors along fault lines to identify the cause of the earthquake.

In this essay, I am going to talk about the tsunami that happened in Japan in 2011. This work will provide information about where the disaster occurred, why and what consequences it had. Finally, it will be discussed what conclusions were drawn and how we can now reduce the impact of these types of events.

Where Did It Occur?

A very destructive earthquake occurred 500 kilometers away from the north-eastern shore of Japan. Sendai, Honshu was 130 kilometers from the epicenter. The earthquake was so powerful that tsunami waves moved across and caused damage in Hawaii, California and many other places.

How Did It Happen?

On earth we have a crust and these are divided in different parts like a puzzle. These parts are called tectonic plates and they move at a slow pace and crash into each other (Earthquake.usgs.gov, 2019). These plates move slowly and when one moves abruptly the earthquake is created. Earthquakes normally occur where two plates meet and rarely occur in the middle of a tectonic plate. When an underwater earthquake occurs, a tsunami is generated. When one of the tectonic plates is forced down, the movement cases a rise or drop on the sea bed. When this occurs, the water on the moving plate rises or drops, it causes a wall to rise around the nearby water which is the tsunami. The bigger the earthquake, the bigger the tsunami is (Sciencing, 2019).

What Were Its Impact?

Because of the disaster Japan was in need of lots of assistance to rebuild their country. Japan’s Police declared that 12, 431 people had died and 15,153 were missing. Over 164 thousand houses were without power and over 170 thousand houses didn’t have water. A minimum of 46 thousand structures were demolished. The Japanese government at first predicted that the cost would be around ¥20 trillion but after an additional ¥3 trillion was required (Telegraph.co.uk, 2019).

Japan’s seafood industry was nearly fell because only 7 ½% of fishing boats were usable. Over 23 000 hectares of cultivated land which was mainly rice fields, were harmed from the salt in the soil. This will affect Japan’s rice production for decades. More than 4 million chickens perished due to insufficient food stock (En.wikipedia.org, 2019).

What Were the Responses from Different People?

The Prime Minister Naoto Kan declared that the Japanese council had deployed the Japan-Self Defense Force to areas of devastation. The Prime Minister pleaded that the citizens do not act irrationally and be informed on new information. Kan said that many of the nuclear plants had been immediately closed. The council pledged to fix the destruction which would cost around ¥1 trillion.

Japan specifically asked disaster relief teams from Australia, New Zealand and many more countries. Following the event after a week over 100 countries and 30 global companies had provided help. China and France had been evacuating citizens from the worst hit areas. Over 15,000 American army staff consisting of more than 15 ships and over 100 aircrafts had been sent to offer help where ever needed (En.wikipedia.org, 2019).

How Can We Reduce the Impacts of a Similar Type of Event?

Researchers from the UK have created a ‘vibrating barrier’ to lessen the damage of earthquakes. The gadget will be put deep in the ground and disconnected from nearby structures. When the earthquake transpires the gadget will absorb a large amount of the seismic vibrations. The device could significantly reduce the amount of destruction and the death toll as well as reduce the severity of a tsunami (The Conversation, 2019). The vibrating barrier is up of a box consisting of a rigid central mass that stays in position by springs. The springs permit the mass to move to and fro to absorb the trembles made by seismic waves (Crisis-response.com, 2019).

Bibliography

1. Sciencing. (2019). How Does an Earthquake Form a Tsunami? [online] Available at: https://sciencing.com/earthquake-form-tsunami-8714524.html [Accessed 18 Apr. 2019].
2. Japan Earthquake. (2019). [image] Available at: http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/topics/japan_earthquake.html [Accessed 18 Apr. 2019].
3. Telegraph.co.uk. (2019). Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: List of Impacts of Disaster. [online] Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8431209/Japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-list-of-impacts-of-disaster.html [Accessed 18 Apr. 2019].
4. EARTH Magazine. (2019). Japan’s Megaquake and Killer Tsunami: How Did This Happen?. [online] Available at: https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/japans-megaquake-and-killer-tsunami-how-did-happen [Accessed 18 Apr. 2019].
5. Earthquake.usgs.gov. (2019). The Science of Earthquakes. [online] Available at: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/kids/eqscience.php [Accessed 18 Apr. 2019].
6. En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aftermath_of_the_2011_T%C5%8Dhoku_earthquake_and_tsunami [Accessed 30 Mar. 2019].
7. The Conversation. (2019). Our New Anti-Earthquake Technology Could Protect Cities from Destruction. [online] Available at: http://theconversation.com/our-new-anti-earthquake-technology-could-protect-cities-from-destruction-44028 [Accessed 31 Mar. 2019].
8. Crisis-response.com. (2019). CRJ: Vibrating Barriers to Protect Buildings during Earthquakes. [online] Available at: https://www.crisis-response.com/comment/blogpost.php?post=128 [Accessed 21 Apr. 2019].

On the 12th of January 2010 at precisely 4:53 pm, a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Léogâne which led to colossal impacts that would forever scar Haiti. An earthquake so destructive and lethal that it is classified as 5th deadliest natural disaster in the world! If you can’t picture how dangerous this was, the Hiroshima Atomic bomb was equal to 13 kilotons of TNT which is the same as a 6-magnitude earthquake.

It was Léogâne where the earthquake chose to attack. Léogâne is a city located approximately 40km west of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince lying on the north coast of Haiti’s southern peninsula within the Caribbean region. To be more specific it is located 18.5128°N and -72.63147°W and sits 22m above sea level.

Earthquakes are when the Earth’s surface violently shakes because of the movement of Earth’s tectonic plates. Most of the earthquakes occur on fault lines which is where two of the Earth’s tectonic plates slide relative to each other.

Most earthquakes and also volcanic eruptions occur on or near to the edges of the Earth’s tectonic plates. they are most prevalent on the “Ring of Fire”, the title given to the edge of the large Pacific Plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. Japan, the Philippines, New Zealand and the western coastline of North and South America all lie in this major fault zone.

The earthquake occurred because Haiti is situated on two fault lines, where the North American Plate meets the Caribbean Plate. The Caribbean Plate is moving in an eastward direction around eight millimeters a year. But approximately 250 years ago these fault lines become stuck and locked together due to friction. Eventually, this caused a build-up of pressure until a plate breaks along the fault line which triggers the earthquake.

Approximately 320,000 were killed in this horrific event, which is 1 in every 15 persons. This is because major cities were located close to the epicenter

1.2 million people were left homeless. A reason for this is because houses were poorly constructed and densely packed together

300,000 people were injured during this earthquake, this was a problem as most of the hospitals had collapsed so there was nowhere to treat patients which also increased the death toll.

The 2010 earthquake produced around $7.8 billion in damage and it is predicted to be as much as $15.7 billion by 2050

Businesses were destroyed, main clothing industries, airports, and trade ports were ruined. These forms of income were now left in rubble.

Countless government buildings demolished including the Presidential Palace!

Chemicals leaked out of industries and factories causing the water to become contaminated and which led to water-borne illnesses. On October 20 there was an outbreak of cholera, this was due to lack of sanitization and the water quality significantly dropped.

According to the United Nations, one of the biggest issues that arose was the piles of corps that were left lying in the street. Which could’ve led to dangerous diseases and infections.

Agriculture is very important in Haiti and for most, it is a significant income. Some of the country’s export items were ruined like bananas, cocoa, rice and sugar which also affected their economy.

A lot of earthquakes, even the big ones aren’t inevitably catastrophic, but when it comes to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, it was a big disaster partly because of their poverty, being the poorest western hemisphere country in the world. Human behavior effected how severe the outcome of the earthquake was because of how well they built structures, humans and the government had the responsibility of building stronger infrastructures with the awareness of an earthquake. If humans-built stronger, reinforced buildings the severity of the disaster would have drastically dropped, with fewer deaths, injuries and their economy wouldn’t have fallen as much.

Research was done in 2011 that strongly suggested that deforestation and methods similar could definitely increase the severity of a landslide or earthquake. Deforestation on steep areas increases both the risk of an earthquake and a landslide. The study implied that severe soil erosion removes any natural materials from the Earth’s surface which releases stress and strongly encourages activeness along fault lines that then triggers earthquakes.

As part of a global response to the earthquake, numerous rescue and search teams from around the world were sent into Haiti to pull any bodies out from piles of rubble. They worked 24/7 to complete their job, their method was simple, they sent a dog into a collapsed building, the dog would sit to indicate a body at their location and the rescue team would collect the bodies. This was an efficient method because they easily located the bodies and then they were able to get them out, because sometimes with rescue teams locating the body is the hardest part. However, this was not the case for this rescue.

Immediately after the earthquake, various organizations promised to provide sufficient humanitarian aid to Haiti, the main organizations being UN and the international Red Cross. Not only companies but numerous countries sent over aid workers, food, supplies, and clothing to help out with the recovery process. The companies provided enough water for 100,000 people a day, they provided blankets, tarps, sleeping mats, tents and $500,000 worth of medical supplies were donated and the Catholic Relief handed out 181,439,948 kgs of food. This was an efficient method as they were able to provide enough services for everyone, and to those who didn’t have access, items were delivered to them.

Introduction

An earthquake is a tremor in the earth’s crust that results in seismic waves as a result of the sudden energy realized from the bowels of the earth. Earthquakes are most likely to occur in regions where the earth’s crust is experiencing any form of strain. The areas which are normally prone to earthquakes are normally the Faulty areas and also along the boundaries. Earthquakes that occur in the faulty areas can result from normal faults, reverse or strike faults. Earthquakes will normally come about as a result of the tectonic displacement of the earth’s crust (Jacobs, p08). Earthquakes can also be deep or shallow depending on the depth of the epicenter. Earthquakes are not the same since the causes of each earthquake are different and the size and the frequency of each earthquake therefore differ. The earthquakes are normally recorded on the seismograph and the magnitude measured on it determines the extent of damage. Most earthquakes will result in various injuries, loss of lives and damage of property in the areas they occur. Some of the known effects include shaking and deformation of the earth, landslides, fires, floods, loss of human life among other human impacts (O’Rourke, p14). To assess the difference between earthquake occurrences, this paper compares the Loma Prieta California Earthquake of October 1989 with the December 1988 Armenia Earthquake.

Causes of the earthquakes

The 1988 Armenia earthquake which is commonly referred to as the Spitak Earthquake occurred in a region that stretches from Turkey to the Arabian Sea on 7th December at 11. 41 AM. This is a seismic region that is prone to earthquake occurrences. The nature of the earthquakes in this region is believed to be caused by movement of plates in the earth’s crust. The Eurasian plate is believed to be colliding with the Arabian landmass (Urdang, p16). The earthquake was a result of faulting and the small fault which was directly under Spitak resulted in the movement of the North East side which rode up on the side facing South West. Colliding of plates normally results from the movement of plates as they are trying to realign themselves over time. History has it that the Arabian Plate and the Eurasian plate keep colliding and as a result the region has many occurrences of similar earthquakes. The earthquakes in this region result from the pressure that is built from the interlocking of the plates. According to scientists, the earthquake occurred along a fault line that had its origins from the Kars region of Turkey and went across the Armenian city.

The following year after the Armenian Earthquake, another earthquake was experienced in San Francisco Bay Area of California on 17th October at 5.04 P.M. This was the first strong earthquake that struck America in history. The earthquake occurred at a time when the country was busy preparing to host the 1989 World Series baseball championship (Jed, p17). This games actually affected the extent to which the damage could have been caused since most people were either not at their places of work or they were busy waiting to celebrate the games at home. Movement along the streets was therefore minimal as compared to other weekdays; the earthquake which occurred in the Santa Cruz Mountains of central California had actually been predicted about two weeks in advance. An increased low frequency had been observed 7 Kilometers from the epicenter. There were magnetic disturbances within the magnetic field nearby and this was measured by an instrument called Magnetometer which was used to search radio communications by the submarines. The signals which were about 20 times higher than normal were reported on 3rd October by Professor Anthony C. Fraser Smith who worked for the Stanford University. Three hours before the occurrence of the earthquake the signals were about 60 times above the normal signals (Bokelmann, p33). The earthquake was named Lorna Prieta after a nearby peak which lay 8Km Northeast of Santa Clara County.

The magnitudes, orientation and the frequencies of the earthquakes

The Epicenter of the earthquake was located in the Forest of Nisene Marks state park in the Santa Cruz County. The area was generally unpopulated. The orientation of the epicenter is given as 37002’N 121 0 53’W (Jed, p19). This is approximately 4km North of Aptos and 16km Northeast of Santa Cruz. The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1 on the Richter scale which was considered the largest earthquake in the region after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The tremor is reported to have resulted from the San Andreas faults. The earthquake mostly affected the southern side of the 1906 rupture. This covered a distance of about 40 Km. the faulting was of the strike-slip and the reverse nature. This resulted in displacement of the earth’s crust about 1.2 meters as a result of the strike-slip and 1.6 meters from the reverse slip. Geologists suggested that the motion occurred on a sub-parallel fault and not on the San Andreas Fault itself. The earthquake was felt in a very large area due to its proximity. This included 6 km, ENE 610 Santa Cruz, 22 km, WSW 2440 Morgan Hill, 34 km, S 1770 San Jose, 47 km, N50 Monterey, 71 km, S1880 Livermore, 91 km, SSE1580 Oakland, 95 km, SSE1500 San Francisco and 100 km, SSE1590 Berkeley (Bokelmann, p43).

The Armenian earthquake is considered to be the fourth strongest earthquake in the region. This clearly indicates that the region is more prone to strong earthquakes as compared to the California region which experienced its first strongest earthquake. Other strong earthquakes that had hit the region had magnitudes of 7.3. This specific earthquake had a magnitude of 6.9 (Urdang, p21). The region experienced 14 other similar earthquakes in Asia in 1988. Its epicenter was located in the mountainous region of Lesser Caucasus. This was 25miles/ 40Km towards the north of Armenia. This epicenter region is prone to volcanic actions and it is comprised of various volcanic rocks and faults that lie beneath the rocks (Hovanesian, p41). The rupture of this earthquake had several branches. Two of these services reached the surface with the first rupture beginning at Alavar. The branch started at N1400 and it stretched a distance of 11km and finally 4Km towards the South East of Spitak. This branch also had strike-slip faults with a length of 50cm. The second branch was the major one starting 8 Km between Gekhasar and Spitak. Its orientation was N1200 and its faults were of the reverse nature. The earthquake was then followed by aftershocks of a magnitude of 5.8 (Jacobs, p13). Other land deformations were also observed in Gekhasar which included some normal faults resulting in uplifting of rocks and also some folds along the north-western side. Both the earthquakes had their epicenters in the mountainous regions giving an indication that these regions are subject to volcanic actions and thus possibility of occurrence of earthquakes.

Injuries, damages and the destruction caused by both earthquakes

Both of these earthquakes resulted in a lot of destruction, injuries and loss of lives. The extent of the damages however differed in that the structural buildings in both regions are not the same. The magnitudes were also not the same and the Lorna Prieta earthquake covered a wider region than the Armenian earthquake. The Armenian earthquake destroyed the whole city of Spitak and minor damages were also reported in the nearby cities of Gyumri and Vanadzor. Damages were also observed in the surrounding villages. The nuclear power plant at Metsamor was actually closed following the damages that followed (Urdang, p35). The earthquake killed a lot of people most of which were school children. The statistics indicate that a total number of 25,000 people perished in the earthquake (Jacobs, p19). The local structures which were affected mostly included the hospitals and the schools. The geologists have however blamed the massive destruction on the poorly constructed buildings. Reports indicate that if the earthquake could have occurred five minutes later most school children would have left the buildings and the number of deaths reported would have been lower.

The disaster management of that time was not adequately prepared for a disaster of this magnitude and this meant they could not adequately handle the situation. This necessitated the invitation of foreign relief efforts to help in the recovery process (Jacobs, p23). This was actually the first time that the foreign workers were allowed to work in the sovereign union region. Efforts to rebuild the city and the houses were received from all over the world. An Architecture monument was erected in Washington D.C in 1990 to reflect the appreciation of the Armenian people for the help they received from the U.S. The earthquake however left many school children with a lot of trauma after experiencing death of their friends and relatives in the school buildings. Other aftermath effects included the distortion of the time of the day, very low winter temperatures and poor soils.

The Lorna Prieta Earthquake resulted in sixty-three deaths six of which were as a result of direct effects of the earthquake. Other 3,757 injuries were reported (Bokelmann, p56). This was a minor number as compared to the deaths that resulted from the Armenian earthquake. Major injuries resulted from the collapse of Cypress Street Viaduct. In this area, a double-decker portion of the Nimitz freeway collapsed leading to massive crushing of cars on the lower side. The Oakland Bay Bridge experienced a 50-foot collapse which caused two cars to fall on the lower deck. These bridges are reported to have been there for a long period but no one had taken the initiative to strengthen them. The injuries that resulted from this earthquake could have been higher could this have been a normal day. Many people had left their places of work early while others stayed late to participate in other activities. As a result the normal heavy traffic was not experienced on this day and this minimized the number of deaths that would have occurred.

The earthquake resulted in major damages especially in San Francisco and Oakland. Other regions such as San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito County, Monterey Counties and Alameda experienced a lot of damage. Majority of the property destroyed was 95 Km away from the epicenter which mostly affected the Marina District. The extensive damage in this district resulted from the liquefaction of soil that was used to fill the waterfront property. The district was mostly affected because it was built on filled land. The filling was mostly sand and other materials included dirt and ripple. When an earthquake occurs in such a region the sand becomes water-like and the buildings built on it cannot stand on it anymore (O’Rourke, p19). The areas comprised of many story buildings which collapsed on the earth’s tremor.

At the junction of the Divisadero Street and the San Francisco’s Beach a gas rupture occurred which resulted in a major fire destruction. Other aftermath effects that resulted from the earthquake were landslides, ruptures and also sand volcanoes. About 25,753 business premises and 18,306 homes were destroyed by the earthquake. Forty buildings collapsed in San Cruz killing six people. The historic Pacific Garden Mall suffered great damage that resulted in several deaths. The Capitola Village also experienced significant structural damage. Many of the wooden structures in Watson Ville had their foundations demolished resulting in loss of lives. Other structures and buildings were also destroyed in the other cities (Jed, p25). The earthquake caused a great effect on the transportation sector of the affected regions for about one month as they awaited the repair of the affected means of transport. Other people lost their homes while others lost their jobs and sustained serious injuries.

The extent of the damage caused by the earthquake was actually not expected since the epicenter was very far from the regions that were worst hit by the earthquake. Geologists however concluded that the damage was extensive due to the seismic waves that went as deep as 24 km in the earth’s surface. The property that was destroyed was estimated to have a value of between $6 Billion and $ 13 Billion (O’Rourke, p21). This marked the most expensive natural disaster in the history of the United States. Most citizens were involved in the rescue mission of the trapped victims in the buildings. The police and the fire rescue teams were also greatly involved. The US also received a lot of donations that were used to assist in the recovery of the damage caused by the earthquake. President George Bush assigned $3.45 billion as a relief package towards the earthquake recovery. The Armenian earthquake though it had a smaller magnitude than the Lorna Prieta Earthquake, it resulted in many deaths and structural destruction. The latter earthquake did not have many deaths although many people sustained serious injuries. The earthquake mostly had massive destruction of property as compared to the Armenian earthquake.

Conclusions

In conclusion, both of these regions are faulty areas that are prone to earthquakes. The Armenian region however is observed to be more at risk due to movement of the Eurasian and the Arabian plate. This makes it experience more earthquakes than the California region. Despite the knowledge of the risks that are deemed to occur in this area, the authorities seemed to be not well prepared for such disasters. Even though the magnitude of the earthquake was unexpected, history had it that there were other earthquakes of greater magnitudes that had occurred in the region. The damages that may result from one earthquake may not be the same as the other and this makes it very important for the governments in such regions to be prepared for any magnitude of destruction from such tremors. The Lorna Prieta earthquake was well handled by the authorities and the general public even though the magnitude and the location of the epicenter were not expected to cause such damage. The government also responded well in recovering the damages done. The experiences in both of these disasters indicate the importance of investing in more stable structures such that in periods of such tragedy, the kind of structural damage experienced would be minimal. This is because the statistics in both earthquakes indicate that majority of the buildings that collapsed were either not stable or were built on filled-up lands. The bridges that collapsed in the Lorna Prieta earthquake were also not strong enough to escape the damage (O’Rourke, p37). Regions prone to earthquakes should always check and reinforce the buildings after a period of time. The government should also be involved in training more disaster management teams who can help during such periods. The general public should also be equipped with more awareness on how to handle themselves during periods of natural disasters such as lying flat on the ground under a table, switching off any gas, keeping first aid kits among others.

Introduction

There are a few natural processes that can be as scary as an earthquake. A human can brace for typhoons by staying indoors. A well-constructed house can withstand normal typhoons. Flooding can be defeated by planning and create mechanisms that will limit the rapid collection of water in cities and other populated areas. Forest fires can be overcome with a well-trained crew of firefighters. But the best system in the world and the best organization on the planet could never defeat an earthquake.

This is because earthquakes can come suddenly and without warning come with such destructive force, it can easily level a city. A high magnitude earthquake shook Central Italy and the worst hit was the city of Aquila. In the aftermath the pain and sorrow were palpable but it did not take long before the people decided to move on. They continued to grieve for dead loved ones but at the same time, they demanded that the government make a serious attempt to increase “earthquake safety” in Italy.

Terrible Quake

There is one phrase that is used to express trepidation and the one expressing it will say that he is quaking in fear. This phrase goes to show the terrifying prospect of being caught in the middle of an earthshaking calamity. The same fear was felt by the residents of Aquila, Italy when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake did not only shatter the peace of dawn but also laid many Italians to rest in eternity. Moreover, the tremor destroyed old buildings the damage that resulted from the violent shaking of the earth could not only be measured by financial ruin alone for this is a historic city in the middle of a very important country.

The fear generated by an earthquake is linked to its sudden occurrence. There are no warning signs. The best and the brightest, together with their numerous college degrees as well as their slick instruments are no match for the invisible force of an earthquake. For centuries many had tried to develop a way to predict earthquakes but so far no one had succeeded to come close with even a basic early warning device. This could be due to the sheer size of the earth’s tectonic plates. It could also be because no one can track down all the moving objects beneath the earth’s surface. No instrument can measure magma and account for the planet’s tectonic plates.

A forest fire though it is destructive can be tamed and even prevented. A knowledgeable team of professionals can reduce the risk of a forest fire by performing the necessary task of removing highly combustible materials in the forest. Even if there are a few qualified people with the high level of expertise needed to prevent forest fires, a well-equipped fire fighting force can be called upon to put down minor fires before they can escalate into catastrophic levels. Forest fires still occur regardless of prevention efforts but still one can argue that they can be prevented. It is not too often that forest fires figure in news headlines. This can be the proof that it can be managed or at least it is possible to mitigate the risk.

Typhoons are also as deadly as forest fires and as destructive as an earthquake. Winds moving at high velocity can easily destroy huge structures, damage vehicles, and at the same time bring in heavy volumes of rainwater that can even cause more devastation even if the winds had already died down. After a city has been battered with cyclonic winds the water brought in by a superstorm will remain for days or even weeks and the health problems brought upon by flooded streets can easily raise the casualty rate.

While cyclones are very destructive and while floodwater can easily upset the normal routine of individuals the aforementioned natural phenomenon can be detected far in advance. It is very possible to know the movement of strong winds days before landfall. There is enough time to warn residents and if needed there is time to evacuate the people and move them into a much safer place. An ordinary typhoon may carry strong winds but modern houses and well-constructed buildings can easily handle the impact of howling winds.

While there is ample time to prepare and counter the effect of typhoons and forest fires, there is still no equipment or method of analysis that can help predict earthquakes. If there was then the casualties of the Aquila quake would still be living right now and able to enjoy the company of loved ones. But the bitter truth is that the best scientists can do is to engage in scientific guesswork but no one can claim with certainty that they can predict the next big seismic activity. The family of the victims of the Aquila quake knew this for a fact but it was still hard to accept that someone’s daughter, son, father, or mother was buried under thick rubble.

Another major problem when it comes to increasing the level of preparedness against earthquakes is that there seems to be no logical defense against them. Going back to the analogy of typhoons and other natural disasters one will realize that to survive natural calamities the defenses that are put up are anchored on the earth. For instance, buildings that are used as shelters, man-made structures that people will use for protection from a heavy downpour, or even a tornado are constructed using the ground as a foundation. But what will happen if the ground moves? This is the dilemma when it comes to figuring out how to defeat an earthquake.

Gravity pulls every organic and inorganic thing towards the earth. Unless man figures out a way to fly there is no escaping the earth’s grasp. Man will forever be a terrestrial being and it has to come to terms with earthquakes. If it cannot be predicted then technology must be improved to make houses and public buildings earthquake-proof. There must be a way to minimize damage and there must be strategies that can be used to increase the level of safety in homes. Former victims of earthquakes must not forever cower in fear in anxious anticipation for the next big one.

Social Impact

The death toll rose to as high as 235 (Donadio & Povoledo, par. 1). The quake did not discriminate between young, old, and very young. It did not discriminate between father, mother, and child. Some students were buried under collapsed buildings, there were old women crushed under broken homes. There were at least 17,000 people who were left homeless (Donadio & Povoledo, par. 12). Countless people will remain emotionally scarred for the rest of their lives.

Property damage is difficult to assess. One is not merely talking about subsidized government housing or new buildings that were constructed a few years ago. This is the region where history books as well as countless novels use for their setting. This is a place where one can find buildings that were constructed hundreds of years before the creation of the United States of America. That goes to show how priceless are building that was damaged by the tremor a few weeks ago.

In the case of the Aquila quake, there are other aspects of the tragedy that requires in-depth analysis forcing the reader to ask for more than the usual statistical information. First of all the epicenter of the earthquake is relatively close to the Vatican, a sacred place for close to a billion people all over the world. Secondly, Central Italy is full of historical landmarks, old buildings and played a significant part in the shaping of European history (Donadio & Povoledo, par. 1). Finally, the magnitude of the quake is a mere 6.3; still strong but it should not have leveled a city belonging to one of the richest nations in the world.

When an earthquake hits the first question is location. Where did it occur? The urgency of the question is due to concern that one may know someone living at ground zero. If the quake happened far away one can offer prayers for the victims but after a brief pause, the tragedy is quickly forgotten, especially if no known relative or friend lives or work in the said area. This time around strangers have every reason to be a concern because the epicenter of the tremor was very close to the Vatican, the official residence of the Pope, the most revered man in the whole of Christendom.

Aside from the safety of the Pope, his cardinals, the numerous priests living in Rome there is also great fear that the most treasured architecture and artifacts as far as Roman Catholics are concerned will be buried from the recent seismic activity. This is the reason why the earthquake last April of 2009 was felt and heard all over the world. This is also the reason why there was an overwhelming outpouring of support. Even the newly elected President Obama offered to help preserve the region’s cultural and artistic heritage (Donadio & Povoledo, par. 9).

The spotlight was focused on the faith of the people not only because of the location of the earthquake but also because the tragedy happened days before Easter, one of the most important days for Christians all over the world. For this reason, “The Vatican granted a special dispensation to hold a Mass on Good Friday, the only day on the Roman Catholic Calendar on which Mass is not normally celebrated (Gera & David, par. 5). If there is any consolation it is the realization that they have the Pope to urge them not to give up hope (Gera & David, par. 1).

There is no price tag for human life and the more than 200 people who died will be missed terribly by family and friends alike. But there is also the issue of the homeless. If the money that was supposed to be invested in ensuring that buildings pass seismic standards the cost of housing and taking care of thousands of homeless people would have been much less. Still, this is not the time to count the monetary cost of helping the victims. There is a need to help especially the kind that will give the victims and the survivors the ability to cope. Italy will never experience rest from significant seismic activity. It is located in two major fault lines and this is the reason why from time to time Italy will experience deadly tremors. This is now the time to look into the future and do everything that they can to prevent this tragedy from occurring again.

Safety First

In the aftermath of the tragedy, many were still dazed and numb with fear. Occasional but powerful aftershocks will deny the residents of Aquila the rest that they so needed. While many are still grieving the whole nation is asking the question as to why a 6.3 quake can do so much damage. It was already mentioned before that this type of intensity can cause serious damage but not this kind of damage. There is also the complaint that this is one of the richest nations on this planet so there should be an explanation why even modern buildings were not spared from the quake while other structures remained unscathed.

Some are upset because this is not the first time that a high magnitude quake devastated Italy. In 1980 2,500 people were killed after a massive tremor hit the southern town of Irpinia and in 2002 an earthquake measuring a mere 5.5 on the Richter scale brought down an elementary school in the southern Molise region (Israel, par. 7). This means that the government is not investing in technology that could easily prevent buildings from caving in. Some pointed out the irony that Italy is a member of the G8, the association of highly industrialized nations in the planet to which the U.S. and UK belong (Israeli, par. 7).

It is easy to understand if there will be a lot of finger-pointing. But the main reason why this problem was not taken care of a long time ago was summarized by one resident who said, “There is a chronic incapacity of Italian leaders to think in the long term, or even beyond the next election. To invest in proper seismic standards doesn’t get you votes” (Israeli, par. 9). The observation cuts to the bone of Italian politics but as mentioned earlier other factors made it difficult or even practical to pour huge sums of money over a project that will not guarantee solid results. Still, the number of dead Italians, as well as the 17,000 homeless people, will now force Italian leaders to do much more than offer their condolences.

Conclusion

Indeed there is nothing as destructive as an earthquake. It comes suddenly and sometimes it comes in the middle of the night when children are fast asleep. On other occasions, it comes when parents are away and helpless to rush in to save their children or pluck them out from the debris that engulfed them. Earthquakes are unpredictable, providing no warning but when it arrives it comes with a fury that can knock huge man-made structures. Everyone can prepare for floods, storms, and even fires but there is no way that one can be one hundred percent prepared for an earthquake.

The best that could be done is to develop structures that can withstand the impact of a high-intensity quake. This realization came too late for many Italians who died last April. Many are blaming the government for its failure to prepare for this day of reckoning. Many agree with them because Italy is a G8 country, one of the richest nations in the world and it is a shame that they could not prepare for an earthquake the measured just 6.3 on the Richter scale. Truly a 6.3 seismic activity can readily do damage but not the kind of devastation experienced in Aquila and not in the 21st century.

A sudden release of energy into the outermost shell of the earth that creates waves of energy that results in shaking of earth’s surface is called an earthquake or tremor.

Earthquake prediction is a branch of seismology science concerned with defining the date, location, and magnitude of potential earthquakes within specified limits, and in particular determining the conditions for the next strong earthquake to occur in a area.

Predictions are considered meaningful if progress can be demonstrated beyond random chance. Thus, statistical hypothesis testing approaches are used to assess the probability that an earthquake such as is expected will occur anyway (the null hypothesis). Then, the predictions are tested by checking whether they match better than the null hypothesis with real earthquakes.

An earthquake0precursor is an irregular trend that might give useful warning of an upcoming earthquake. In aeronomy to zoology, there have been 400 reports of possible precursors as defined by science, of 20 different types. But none of them are found useful for earthquake prediction.

Alternative methods for earthquake prediction to be looked for trends or patterns that lead to an earthquake, rather than watching for irregular phenomena that might show precursor that leads to a disastrous earthquake. These patterns are complex and involve many other attributes, advance statistics methods are used to understand the attributes. For earthquake prediction these techniques proved to be more probabilistic and have huge time spans.

Earthquakes being destructive in nature, humans are in dire need of a prediction method. Earthquake prediction means to predict precise time span, intensity and place of a future earthquake. Scientific community has made major contribution but, due to its random phenomena no effective method has been discovered. It is noted that massive earthquakes occur at landscapes where long term notes have been taking place. Some large earthquakes creates a spatial form and certain forecasts regarding value and region are possible. Nevertheless, earthquakes generation isn’t always a cyclical process due to the incomplete strain release, the variation of the rupture vicinity and earthquake mediated interactions along different faults. This means that the time among events may be extraordinarily irregular. So, the prediction of the time, or especially near time interval, of an approaching massive earthquake is still the subject of research.

Presently there is no preferred technique for earthquake prediction. Moreover, there may be nevertheless no agreement in science community on whether it is viable to find an answer of this problem. However, rapid improvement of device getting to know techniques and a success software of these strategies to various sorts of problems shows that these technologies could help to extract hidden styles and make correct predictions.

In this paper, machine learning techniques have been used to predict earthquake magnitude for Hindukush area. Statistically calculated eight seismic indicators has been used for earthquake prediction using data set of mentioned regions. The used attributes are based on the well-known geophysical facts of the inverse law of Gutenberg – Richter, the spread of characteristic magnitudes of the earthquake and the seismic quiescence. Machine learning techniques like Pattern Recognition Neural Network, Recurrent Neural Network, Random Forest and Linear Programming Boost Ensemble are used. The model is capable to detect earthquakes of 5.5 magnitude or greater on data of 1 month. Mainly four ML techniques have been used for prediction. Every classifier shows better sensitivity. PRNN shows better results in case of false alarms when compared to other techniques. If geophysical facts are used to design a model to predict non-linear and random phenomena will give more accurate results.

[bookmark: _Hlk36672296]Earthquake prediction proves to be a challenging field to conduct research, where a future happening of destructive disaster is predicated. In this study [2], sixty features are calculated by applying seismological concepts, such as seismic rate changes, fore shock frequency, Gutenberg-Richter law, total recurrence time, seismic energy release. Therefore, earthquake forecasting is conducted on the basis of calculated features in place of statistics of earthquakes, therefore by changing a statistical prediction question into a classification question. The computed parameters, are basis to represent the inner geological state of ground before earthquake happens. This study states the mathematical procedures and calculates all features in a attempt to hold most of the data, which gives direction to every earthquake occurrence Et corresponding sixty seismic features. Maximum Relevancy and Minimum Redundancy (mRMR) based parameter selection is applied to select most relevant parameter having maximum information, after getting most of the available seismic attributes. Earthquake prediction model (SVR-HNN) is generated using Support Vector Regression SVR combine with Hybrid Neural Network HNN model and Enhanced Particle Swarm Optimization EPSO, and there state between feature vectors and their concerned Et. The suggested prediction method is applied to execute earthquake predictions separately for the mentioned areas and results are assessed. The proposed prediction model presented promising results when compared to other models suggested for the mentioned regions. In this study, a multistage model is recommended (SVR-HNN). Combination of different machine learning methods are used, with every method 0complementing other via knowledge gathered during learning methods. Therefore, this model is strengthened at every step, gives a more0better final prediction model. Parameter selection is directly affects the performance of SVR, HNN and EPSO. To obtain good results for algorithms SVR, HNN and EPSO, extensive experimentation is carried out to select appropriate parameter values. SVR-HNN show minor deviation, which supports the choice of selected parameters, making a better earthquake prediction model.

In [2], with the computation of maximum seismic features in combination with robust multilayer prediction model is generated. The model constitutes on support vector machine combine with hybrid neural network HNN and Enhanced Particle Swarm Optimization EPSO. For an preliminary assessment SVR is used to predict earthquake, then output is given to HNN as auxiliary predictor in addition with features. HNN is further employed with EPSO. Thus, SVR HNN based model is tested and trained with promising and better results for mentioned regions.to analyze the seismic wave also known as earthquake wave obtained by seismological stations and to ensure the arrival time for S and P wave is the main goal of this paper.AR Pick Algorithm is used to P and S pick times. ASCII format is used to convert waveform in this paper. When time series data was used in time sample sets, results were at all waveform highs and lows with noise.

In [3], a total of 27 features including time-domain features and waveform features were used. BP-NN was outperformed by BP Adaboost and SVM with the accuracy of 100%. Feature extraction is done using SVD. Magnitude prediction and earthquake prediction is done using SVM. The combined accuracy of SVD and SVM methods obtained, was 77% and 66.67% respectively. Machine learning is useful and effective in seismology and reduce mathematical efforts. New features can be added to get improves prediction results that will help in predicting earthquakes. Other environmental features in the active zones can be of good use as a set of attributes in predicting earthquakes and destruction caused by them. Output can be improved by using AR picker algorithm for labelling data. For future work area which can be explored are0statistical and machine learning methods.

In [4], author has discussed about the segregation issue in EEW applying a combination of generative antagonistic systems (GANs) and Random Forests. GANs are solo learning calculations that comprise of two neural systems, a0generator and a pundit, contending with one another. The generator is intended to deliver engineered trials that are as practical as possible so as to trick the analyst, while the analyst is intended to identify the difference between the generator yield and the genuine information. The quake informational collection comprises of broadband and solid movement waveforms from the Southern California Seismic Network (SCSN) and solid movement waveforms from Japan. In the wake of preparing, the discriminator, as a blend of the GAN pundit and the Random Forest classifier, accomplishes 99.2% precision for P waves and 98.4% exactness for clamor flags in the test informational index. As it were, we have 0.8% opportunity to botch a P wave as commotion and 1.6% opportunity to botch a clamor signal as a P wave. Our favored methodology is relevant to numerous other separation as well as recognition errands identified with seismic waveforms. The GAN can undoubtedly distinguish the waveform includes that are generally significant to the objective, which doesn’t require abstract decisions of capabilities. The Random Forest fuses extra force by its demonstrated strength in order of various articles. Since these instruments are new to seismology, the uses of their amazing abilities are still under investigation. Consolidating the GAN pundit and the Random Forest, we accomplished the beginning of-the-craftsmanship execution in segregating seismic tremors against other hasty clamor triggers, which can essentially lessen bogus triggers in EEW. Our investigation presents a convincing defense that GANs have ability to find reduced portrayal of seismic waves, which has potential for wide applications in seismology.

In [5], ensemble classification is used with Genetic Programming (GP) which was derived using boosting 0(GP-Adaboost), has been used for the prediction of earthquake (EP-GPBoost). Regions of0Hindukush, Chile and Southern California has been observed for the modelling of indicator using GP AdaBoost. A strong classifier is designed using searching capabilities of GP and boosting of AdaBoost are collectively used to get desired results. These regions have been chosen because a large number earthquake occurred in these regions. In this study, EPS is modelled as a binary classification problem with the goal of generating predictions for 5.0 and greater magnitude earthquakes, 15 days before an earthquake. The EP-GP0Boost shows remarkable performance for all three regions, particularly in terms of low false alarms generation. The accuracy of 74%, 80% and 84% for Hindukush, Chile and Southern California means that the false alarm ratio is significantly low. Proposed model shows improved results for these regions when compared with other studies. Future research will concentrate on the development of more effective seismic indicators and the implementation of deep learning techniques for earthquake prediction.

In [6], one of the best predictive method, support vector regression (SVR) has been used. The dataset and SVR training parameters 0influence 0the overall performance of the model. In this paper, particle filter method is used to improve the results of SVR. The particle filter, which is typically set by try and error, defines the SVR parameters in the proposed process. The data used in this analysis were collected from two Iranian databases, climate data from the Meteorology Center of the Islamic Republic of Iran and seismic data from the Iranian Seismology Center. The model could show predictive accuracy and the number of earthquakes expected in a month. By 96 % accuracy for mean magnitude and over 78 % for the number of earthquakes. If the proposed method has been able to classify results within the daily range and distinctly different results can be identified using precursor forms, since the data provided was restricted to monthly data.

In this paper [7], authors have A type of machine learning which can predict earthquake with improved results. Authors used historical earthquake data obtained from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) to conduct this experiment. Experiment cannot be done using raw data directly. Preprocessing has been done on the data to perform experiment. Proper preprocessing and optimizing has been done in different steps to prepare experimental dataset.0The training dataset contains 80% data and training dataset contains 20% data. The ratio of training and the testing dataset was predefined with a specific cross-validation method. Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest, Naïve bays, Decision tree, and K-nearest neighbors were applied for training the model. The model parameters were also precisely fitted to the cross-validation process to obtain precise results. The0results of the training0were0compared and0evaluated0among the0models to fine-tune the input variables and model0parameters to increase the0predictability. The intensity level in terms of prediction of earthquake was slightly better than others in case of Random forest. The Support Vector Machine model with a linear kernel, however, also predicted good results which were almost identical to the random forest model. This paper’s section on the results analysis shows that the accuracy is very good in predicting earthquake phenomena, but it is not that simple. This model only conducts a statistical study of historical data concerning the earthquake. However, far more detailed data such as geological data, geographical data, tectonic plates moving data are required to get the most precise and consistent observations about earthquake prediction.

In paper [8]., author has presented signal detection and classification of high noise level and low correlation ground motion signals, and proposed a recognition and a classification technique based on support vector machine (SVM) model enhanced by genetic algorithm. Classifiers are designed by recognition of ground targets and ground-motion signal processing, ground-motion signal analysis and feature extraction has been mainly used in this process. Eigenvectors can train and test on improved version of SVM based on genetic algorithm. The accuracy of test is 93.75%. Recognition efficiency and higher training speed and performance of classifier can be improved. Adaptive denoising algorithm can be used for signal preprocessing, and recognition technology incorporating multiple classification methods can be used to optimization. Support Vector Machine and Neural Network combination, with fuzzy theory and so on to improve target classification efficiency and accuracy, are areas in which more work can be conducted to establish a more efficient target recognition method for ground movement signals.

Natural disasters have always been a significant threat to human life and safety due to the uncontrolled and commonly unpreventable features. Despite the scope of dangers and adverse outcomes associated with various natural disasters, earthquakes might be claimed to be the most dangerous to societies and people. Due to high economic costs associated with rescuing efforts and living after the earthquake, this disaster is perceived as the most severe.

Numerous instances of extreme earthquakes in humanity’s history indicate the scope of damage and victims they cause. Such earthquakes as Loma Prieta 1989, Mexico City 1985, or Bhuj 2001 caused thousands of deaths and significant monetary losses for the communities. The economic costs issue associated with earthquakes is of particular relevance to natural disasters because the contemporary world is driven by economies and businesses. The survival after an earthquake largely depends on the financial capabilities and the estimated damage to the health of victims and the infrastructure. Unlike any other natural disaster, earthquakes are commonly the deadliest ones. They are associated with irrecoverable property and building damage that have several implications for the economy. Firstly, the rescue efforts are costly and complicated; secondly, earthquakes might ruin critical facilities that generate economic profit and the damage to which might paralyze the functioning of a city or a state. Thirdly, the reconstruction costs are high due to the probability of complete ruination of buildings. Finally, without a functioning economy, even people who have not been directly impacted by an earthquake would be threatened.

Thus, earthquakes are one of the deadliest and most dangerous natural disasters. The scope of irreparable damage, human losses, and paralyzed infrastructure causes high economic costs for rescuing, preventing, reconstructing, and rehabilitating. The recovery after an earthquake requires substantial time and financial contributions, which are commonly impossible to obtain within the impacted community due to the losses caused by the disaster. Overall, the dependence of modern societies on infrastructure makes earthquakes the most dangerous catastrophe from the perspective of long-term recovery.

An earthquake is a sudden tremor of the earth’s surface or below and occurs naturally due to various factors (Cari 4). Earthquakes start either underneath or on the exterior of the earth’s crust depending on the basis that led to the tremble or tremor. The magnitude of an earthquake measures the amount of energy released by an earthquake when tectonic plates shift against each other causing sudden tremors (Cari 8). There are various types of earthquakes depending on the cause of the earthquake hence have different effects and damage to property and loss of life. This study aims at explaining the differences in the magnitude of damage caused by earthquakes. This study will make use of three different groups of earthquakes depending on the damage and magnitude to explain the difference in the damage caused by earthquakes.

Three earthquakes are taken into consideration in this study that including the Haitian earthquake of January 2010, which was of high magnitude and caused high damage and loss, the second is the Chile earthquake in February 2010 that was of high magnitude but caused less damage and loss. The third earthquake considered is April 2008, Illinois earthquake that was of less magnitude and caused less damage and loss. There are various causes of earthquakes, which include the shifting and sloping of the tectonic plates against each other. When shifting continues, resulting in breaking due to increased shifting, it releases a high wave of energy, which flows through the earth inform of an earthquake causing damage to property and loss of lives. Thrust faulting is the other cause of earthquakes as the compression and squeezing of rocks within the earth’s plates causes the generation of strong forces. Another cause of quakes is the movement of molten rock inside cracks and fissures in rocks causing stresses translating to discharge of vigorous waves hence form volcanic earthquakes. Realignment of fault lines and plates after an earthquake may lead to aftershocks and foreshocks, therefore, considered another cause of earthquakes.

The Haitian earthquake was of high magnitude and caused devastating damage and loss of property in Eastern Haiti. The eastward movement of the Caribbean plate in relation to the North American plate caused the Haitian earthquake in January 2010 of magnitude of 7 (Taft-Morales 16).The rupture of the faults along the plates Caribbean North American plates and caused uplift of the Leogane delta caused the earthquake. There have been various aftershocks in Haiti after the earthquake and recorded magnitude of at most 4.5. The Haitian earthquake caused high damage leaving 316,000 people dead, 300,000 injured, and 1.3 million people displaced (Taft-Morales 12). The earthquake caused destruction of 97,294 houses and damages to 188,383 others. The above statistics depict devastating effects of the earthquake and mainly due to the high population density of the affected areas. The other reason for the damage is low economic development levels and corruption, which led to the construction of sub-standard buildings.

The second kind of earthquake is high magnitude earthquake that have less damage and loss with a case study of the Chile earthquake. The Chile earthquake had a magnitude of 8.8 and the placid sloping of the Nazca plate eastward and under the South American plate engendered the earthquake. A rupture of the fault between the plates led to the generation of the earthquake that also resulted in the tsunami. At least, 523 people lost their lives and 24 people went missing while 12,000 were injured. The earthquake caused damages of 370,000 houses, 79 hospitals, and 4,013 schools including 4,200 boats. Interruption of power, water delivery, and connections in airports include the other effects of the earthquake. In comparison to the Haitian earthquake with a magnitude of seven, the Chile earthquake caused less damage to despite having a high magnitude of 8.8.

The third kind of earthquake demonstrated by their causes and effects is the low magnitude, low loss, and damage type. The case is the April 2008, Illinois earthquake, which had a magnitude of 5.4 and had mild damage, which included minor, structural damages to building in various areas. Movement in the Wabash Valley fault system caused the Illinois earthquake.

The main reasons why the Haitian and the Sichuan earthquakes were more devastating than the others vary. The main reason for the devastating effects of the Haitian and Sichuan earthquakes is hilly and mountainous setting of the places, hence significant effects of the tremor and shaking on the surface leading to the great damage. The other reason is the depth of the earthquakes, which were near the surface leading to high shaking rates hence increased damage. The ignorance of engineer building and architectural requirements in the building also contributed to the increased damages as the building’s architectural design could not withstand shaking during the earthquake. The other reason for high damage and devastating effects of Haiti and Sichuan earthquakes is the high-density population in Haiti and Sichuan province.

In conclusion, the main causes of earthquakes are the movement of plate tectonics, which cause stress between rocks translating to release of strong waves forming earthquakes. The main effects of earthquakes are property damage and the loss of lives. Effects of earthquakes differ forming three groups of earthquakes, which are high magnitude, high damage and loss, high magnitude low damage and loss and low magnitude low damage and loss earthquake. The depth, topography, population density and the construction style of the areas affected by the earthquake determine the effects of earthquakes.

The Nepal Earthquake occurred on the 25th of April and 11:56 AM, there was nearly 9,000 casualties and nearly 22,000 injuries with the main injures occurring in the capital Kathmandu. Earthquakes such as this one are quite common in the Nepalese area because the country is on top of the of two huge tectonic plates in the world the Indo-Australian plate and the Asian plate. While this was caused by the fault line along the gap between the Indian/Asian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. The Asian/Indian plate was diving under the Eurasian plate which caused Kathmandu to shift 3 metres in just 30 seconds. This earthquake caused a rapid avalanche from on and around Mount Everest, there were 700 – 100 killing 19 climbers and destroying the basecamp at the bottom. The Nepalese government has been criticized by many for not having precautions. Many people say that a lot of the damage was causes by the poor infrastructure and building materials due to the lack of good engineers so, many of the buildings were able to stand up with all the shaking let alone the extreme shaking that occurred in this earthquake.

Economic Impacts

The economic impacts of this would be mainly on the damage to the building and the cities which would cost a lot of money, in this earthquake around $10 billion worth of damage was causes to building all across the country which would have massive effects on the economy of the part of the country on a state level. On a local level even after the they have finished re-building the cities it would have a very bad effect on tourism as many tourists would be thrown of going to the country after the recent earthquake as they could fear for their safety. On a national level their trade could be affected because many other countries might not want to be involved with the country because of its lack of preparation for the earthquake and how Nepal haven’t really recovered since the event with nearly 70% of people still living in temporary shelters in 2017.

Social Impacts

The impacts of this earthquake on people would be that people would generally stay in their houses, want to stay on high ground and always be basically waiting for another earthquake to strike. If it is not managed then the country and cities will not be a very happy place to live. If there is a lack of money in the community meaning that people would not be able to build houses for themselves, get food or clothes so this would be difficult to live in when you have no houses, no food, clothes and a lack of resources, this could have terrible effects on the citizens mental health it could cause anxiety of another earthquake or disaster and depression due to the lack of control over rebuilding their life that they have.

Environmental Impacts

Earthquakes cause faults in the ground and the extreme shaking can also start tsunami because of the movement in the ground that can cause the waves which make up tsunamis. They can also cause avalanches which was caused in this earthquake due to the shaking around the mountain and under the mountain causing some of the mountain to come down causing an avalanche.

Think about how life would be if there is no earthquake build an imagery of what Earth will look like. You will probably say that there would be lessdestruction, loss of lives and earth would be a safer place to live in. But earthquake is more than what you expect. We are all aware of all the damages but we never acknowledge what are the advantages. I am Nicole Muñez and today I am here in front of you presenting a topic that itmaybe many of you will object but I am here to prove how essential earthquake is. First let us consider that it helps in understanding our Earth. Another point to consider is, it helps to avoid earth explosion, and lastly is land formation and economic growth. Because the creation of economy the key is catastrophe.

According to experts earthquakes are helpful in understanding our Earth. How dynamic the process going in the internal and external of our world. the structure, process to measure how wide our resources and to study how earthquake affect our society and create different plan to mitigateit. Based on the different information geologists gain from earthquakesthey can find important resources like water aquifers, oil, and natural gas. It also helps to deposit nutrients and minerals needed for soil (sciencing.com). Imagine your body without a system. Would it work like how it use to be ? No right its like a world without on earthquake that serve as a system and engine. This means a creation of economy the key is catastrophe.

Not only it helps us to gain knowledge about our planet but also it increase the growth of our economy because of different land forms. You will not know Mount Fuji, Mount Everest, and Mount Apo without the unpredictable occurence of earthquakes. We all know that these mountains are one of the beautiful catastrophe our earth produce and mostly visited by different tourists. This increase the economicgrowth of society, cause by the incredible art that our planet create.The creation of economy the key is catastrophe.

Lastly our earth might explode without shaking and subduction of the ground. It will be hard for the earth to release heat inside the core. We cannot call the earth as an habitable planet (sciencing.com).Picture yourself not living in this world what God creates. Indeed a creation of economy the Key is catastrophe.

In conclusion we need to realize that earthquakes are also essential and beneficial for the earth and for us as a human being living in this place where unique things and events happen. Taking every points that are being presented into consideration. How it helps in understanding the earth, to prevent explosion of the Earth and how it affects the growth of our economy. Realizing how each one of us would be just dirt and dust if our home planet will be an inhabitable planet. Unpredictable devastating events like earthquake that occur in the world is like those problems we experience in our life it is naturally given to us to build ourselves. Thus, the creation of economy the key is catastrophe.