nit 6: The physical Earth and human interac

We are learning to:

Earth's natural define terms and concepts:
earthquake, seismiG, focus, epicentre
centre,
disasters magnitude
locate on a map major earthquaka
in the Caribbean
zones
describe the use of seismographs
and the Richter scale in measuring
the occurrence and magnitude of
earthquakes.

Earthquakes
sudden shaking of the Earth's crust. The
An earthquake is a
shaking happens when tectonic plates move. Earthquakes
happen at all plate boundaries.
At constructive plate margins, the plates are moving away
from each other. Magma then rises to the surface. An
earthquake can occur as the magma moves its way throug
the crust.
At destructive plate boundaries, two plates are mevirng
towards each other. As they push against each other
the oceanic plate is forced underneath the continernta
plate. The sudden downward movement of the oceaic Ëarthquakes happen at all plate

plate causes the land to shake violently. boundaries.

A t conservative plate margins, the plates are sliding

past each other. This is not a smooth process and the
two plates often jolt and judder suddenly as the move
causes the land to shake.
At collision plate boundaries, two plates are moving
towards each other. These two plates are made of
continental crust, so the land is pushed upwards. Often
the upward movement of the crust can cause it to
shake.

The term seismic activity is used to refer to the movement

of tectonic plates and the activity that results, such as
earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.

When an earthquake happens, the point at which it

happens underground is called the focus. The point
directly above the focus on the Earth's surface is called
the epicentre.
Magnitude refers to the size of the earthquake. The Richter
scale shows the strength of an
earthquake.

132 IOwer Secondary Social Sciences: Earth's natural

disasters
Recording
and measuring an
earthquake
an earthquake happens, seismic waves are sent out
6.5
Whena

the focus
and trav through the crust. These waves
hom

e
thenpicke up
and recorded on instruments called
Seismographs are able to detect strong
Activity
ismographs. Using a shake table,
in the world. They can also record explain how different
uakes anyvwhere
earthe
time
and
location. pick up smaller magnitudes, local
To
geismographs are used.
structures respond to
earthquakes.
da cize of the earthquake is then shown using the Richter
cale. The Richter scale goes from 1.0 to 9.9, with 9.9 being
the strongest. There has never actually been an earthquake
nea5uring 9.9. The most powerful earthquake ever recorded
Was 9.5-Occurring in Chile, in 1960.
10-1.9 Micro

Minor
.0-30

4.0-4.9 Light

5059 Moderate

trac 6.0-6.9 Strong

7.0-79 Major

8.0-8.9

Great

9.0 and
greater

Key vocabulary
tarthquake magnitude Scale.
earthquake
Exercise seismic/seismic activity
1.
Explain how earthquakes occur t constructive and focus
2.
estructive plate boundaries. epicentre
at is the
difference between the focus and the
3.
epicentre? magnitude
What is the difference between magnitude and the Richter scale
Richter sra
ichter scale? seismic waves
4.
What seismomographs pick up? seismographs

133
 n t 6: The physical Earth and human
interactions
Effects of We are learning to:

examine the effect of

the physical and humanearthqua
earthquakes .interpret photographs toenviron
analyse
the impacts of earthquakes
environment.
on tho

Effects of earthquakes
The damage caused by an earthquake depends on a number
of different factors, however the strength of the earthquake
is
possibly the most
important factor.
Earthquakes with a magnitude of les than 6.0 generally
don't cause a lot of
damage. However, earthquakes with a
magnitude of over 6.0 can be highly destructive.

Effects of earthquakes on the

human environment

Strong earthquakes can have devastating effects on the

human environment. The most common effects include: A road damaged during an
earthquake.
buildings and infrastructure (roads and
bridges) collapse
loss of life and property Researdh
injury Using the internet,
homelessness research photographs
broken gas and vwater pipes and newspaper article
fires break out documenting different
earthquakes. Analyse t
contaminated water supplies impact of earthquakes
spread of disease. on the environment.

Effects of earthquakes on the

physical environment

As with the human environment, there are

earthquakes on the physical environment:
many effects of

.tsunamis and flooding

aftershocks small earthquakes following the main
-

one
landslides sudden movement of rock, earth or
-

debris
down a slope
mudslides wet soil or sand moves suddenly downhill
.
farmland and vegetation destroyed by tsunamis,
landslides, mudslides and flooding.

134 Lower Secondary Social Sciences: Effects of

earthquakes
Case study

Haiti earthquake
6.6
On 12 January 2010,
an earthquake measuring 7.0 on
scale aftected the countries of Haiti and the
the Richter
nominican Republic. The epicentre of the earthquake
aS 16 km west of Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince. The
8 km beneath the surface.
focus was only
Haiti lies on the boundary of the Caribbean and North
American Plates. This is a conservative plate boundary
-

the Caribbean Plate is moving in one direction and the

North American Plate goes in the opposite one.
The human effects of the earthquake were devastating.
t is estimated that, as a result of the earthquake,
approximately 220 000 people were killed and 300 000
were injured. It is believed that 250 000 homes were
destroyed and, as a result, 1 million people were made
homeless. In total, 3 million people were affected.

Transport and communication links

-

such as roads and

railways -were destroyed or badly damaged. This meant
that emergency services couldn't get through to certain
Building damage during an
areas. More than 50 hospitals are thought to have been earthquake in Turkey, 2011.

badly damaged, as well as 1300 schools.

Following the earthquake, experts identified that two
tsunami waves affected Caribbean regions, with waves

approximately 3 m high. The waves affected the coastline

along the Bay of Port-au-Prince and the southern coast of
the island of Hispaniola.It is believed that the tsunamis
Killed three people and destroyed several homes.

there 52
ollowing the initial earthquake, were

aftershocks measuring 4.5 or more on the Richter scale,

hese lasted until 24 January 12 days after the first
-

earthquake.
Questions
Activity
Write three paragraphs
1. Name five effects of earthquakes on the human and
explaining how you felt
physical environment. (or think you would
What caused the earthquake in Haiti feel) if you were in an
in
20T0 earthquake.
3. In total, how many people are thought to have been
affected by
earthquake?
the
4. initial Key vocabulary
ow many aftershocks followed the * * * **************************"****

earthquake? aftershock
a y the photographs below showing the etfects landslide
or an earthquake. Analyse the impact of the
carthquake in these photographs. mudslide

135
 Onit 6: The physical Earth and human interactions
learning to:
We are

Planning against . demonstrate an understanding af

mitigation strategies used against
earthquakes earthquakes.

reduce the loss of life If you are in

A
mitigation
dhd
strategy is a plan to
property by lessening the impact of disasters. There should:
a
building, r,
a things that people
number of can do to minimise the
are DROP to the ground (before he
damage caused by earthquakes.
earthquake irops you!),

What can you do?

When people live in areas that are prone to earthquakes, they
are well educated in what to do in the event of an earthquake:
A t school, students are taught and regularly practise
what to do in the event of an earthquake. Earthquake
drills are often used in school in order to the
prepare
students. These might be rehearsed once a month.
Take COVER by getting under a

People stock up on food, water and medical supplies. sturdy desk or table

Any business and organisation responsible for many

people will also want to educate their employees on
what to do in the event of an earthquake.
There is a worldwide strategy called 'Drop, Cover and
Hold' that helps to educate people all over the world in
what to do during an earthquake.
Most schools and businesses will also have a tsunami and HOLD ON to it until the
evacuation plan if they are in areas that are vulnerable
shaking stops.
to natural disasters.

Preparedness kit
People in areas prone to and tsunamis will
earthquakes
also be encouraged to have a disaster supply kit in their
houses and businesses. This is usually a rucksack filled with
move
belongings that will be useful in the event of a natural lf you are outside,
disaster. Some of the things that people might put in their away from buildings, tre
disaster supply kit include: street lights and powel
first-aid kit and medications lines, then 'Drop, CoVe
the sha
and Hold' until
torch
stops.
water and canned/tinned food
emergency contact numbers
cash.

136 Lower Secondary Social Sciences:

Planning against earthquakes
Building design

are a number ingsof that countries

do to can
6
ere

inimise the damage caused by earthquakes. One of the

do is alter the design and materials
hest things they can
new buildings and roads.
used on
roads are made from concrete,
Traditionally, buildings and
an earthquake. Countries such as
which will collapse during
lot of earthquakes, have found
lapan, which experience
a
in materials that gently sway with
that by building buildings
the earthquake, they are far more likely
the movement of
Theretore all new buildings and roads are
to stay standing.
being built in this way.

Insurance

People can take out insurance on homes, property and

possessions, so that the insurance company will pay out to
replace anything that is damaged in an earthquake. This can
be great for replacing possessions, but will not make up for Earthquake-resistant skyscrapers in

sentimental items lost or damaged during an earthquake or Tokyo.

tsunami.
Activity
Early warning systems Outline at least three
it is only possible to strategies that could be
AS earthquakes cannot be predicted, used by individuals or
already happened.
alert people after the earthquake has to
people all over thhe Communities to reduce
tarly warning systems send out alerts
to say that an earthquake has been detected. Even the amount of damage
cOuntry
Tew seconds can minimise the damage and loss of life caused during an
caused by an earthquake, so they are seen as very useful. earthquake.
When people are alerted of an earthquake, they can
to sate
Olow the 'Drop, Cover and Hold' procedures, move
tions and the emergency services can be put on standby.
of
Rllof these steps should help to reduce the number
Activity
people killed and injured during an earthquake. Your teacher will give
you a copy of your
Exercise school's evacuation plan.
Study the plan and then,
*what is the 'Drop, Cover and Hold' procedure?
in groups, role-play what
be included in a
Gve examples of things that should you would do in the
disaster supply kit. event of an earthquake.

escribe how building design can help to reduce

damage. Key vocabulary
4.
Why is it beneficia for people to take out earthquake
igation strategy
insurance?

137
Unit 6: The physical Earth and human interactions

An earthquake We are learning to:

create an
action plan to assist
peop
action plan affected by earthquakesPe
practise responsible behaviqur:
iour in tre
of disaster.

Action Plan

In countries where earthquakes are very common,

emergency Action Plans will be created so that everybody
knows what to do during an earthquake. The following
IS an example of a school's Action Plan for an earthquake
situation. Your school will have one that is very similar.

OBJECTIVES
The main objectives are to:
ensure the safety of all students, staff and visitors during and after an emergency
prepare students, staff and visitors for an emergency
plan a safe and well-designed response to emergencies
protect the school building and school facilities
provide the school with a coordinated approach to restoring normal conditions
following an emergency.
IDENTIFY TASKS
There are a number of tasks that need to be completed before, during and after an

earthquake. These include making sure that:

every member of staff and student is aware that an emergency is imminenttaking
place/has occurred
all staff/students follow the emergency procedures
the emergency services are notified
.students are reassured during and after an emergency
first-aid treatment is given to those that need it a n d anyone misin
all staff and students are accounted for following an emergency, and anyonie
is reported immediately
other members of staff and students are helped
order is restored.

DELEGATE TASKS

Some members ot staff will have more responsibility than others - for example
ore

senior management (headteachers, for example) will be expected to take on nnedt

are exf
before, during and after an
responsibilities ber
emergency. m teachers
Classroom
to follow the emergency procedures thoroughly.
SUCCESS CRITERIA m u s t .

For a school to measure the success of an emergency situation, the following

considered:

the time taken for a drill to be issued and time taken to evacuate the SC
whether all staff and students followed procedures

138
Lower Secondary Social Sciences: An earthquake action plan
 the number
of casualties 6.8
the time taken for emergency services to respond.

TIME FRAME

The time frame depends on the nature of the emergency. Project

be carried out as quickly as possible, Imagine that an
Procedures should earthquake situation
that all staff and students find a safe place or are
ensuring is about to happen. In
evacuated from the building as quickly as possible.
groups, write your own
RESOURCES NEEDED Action Plan, using the

It is recommended that the following items supplied to all following headings

Objectives, Identify tasks,
classrooms:
Delegate tasks, Success
first-aid kit whistle
criteria, Time frame,
blankets drinking water
Resources needed,
blank class register portable radio
Evidence of completion.
pens torch.
Use the example Action
EVIDENCE OF COMPLETION Plan to help you
Following an emergency, the headteacher must complete
an Emergency Response Form detailing the incident,
making specific mention to the success criteria of the
emergency.

Being responsible
things that people should do
Above all else, there are
during an emergency:
stay calm and try not to panic
follow instructions that are given to you
put into practice safety procedures -

for example, find a

safe place to take cover

but not at the expense of
neip others where possible,
your own safety
stay where you are until you are absolutely sure that
the disaster is over.

Exercise
What are the main objectives of an Action Plan?
How is the success of an emergency situation
measured?
3. What resour must all classrooms have?
4.
Why do you think it is important for schools to have
an Action Plan?
5. Why do
do you think you need to act responsibly during
an emergency?

139