EARTHQUAKES

Week 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?