ANALYZE THE EFFECTS OF THE DIFFERENT

EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS
There are various hazards brought about by earthquakes and each of them has different effects,
here as follows:
1. GROUND RUPTURE
The effects of the ground rupture include fissuring and displacement of the ground due to
movement of the fault.

To avoid the possible effects of ground rupture, PHIVOLCS advised the following:
 Avoid construction of structures on top of an active fault
 House or building should be at least 5 meters away from the trace of the fault or from the
edge of the deformation zone.
 No structure or building should be built within the buffer zone. It could only be used for
low-use facilities (i.e Green space, playing fields, gardens, parks, garage and parking lot)

2. GROUND SHAKING
Effects of ground shaking includes damage or collapse of structure and may consequently cause
hazards such as liquefaction and landslide.

3. LIQUEFACTION
Liquefaction may result to sinking and/or tilting of structure above it; sand boil and fissuring.

Localities prone to liquefaction:

a. Are water saturated (shallow water table) low-lying
b. Have loose (unconsolidated), sand or slit deposits
i. River banks, abandoned rivers, flood plains
ii. Coastlines
iii. Swamps
iv. Reclaimed land

4. EARTHQUAKE-INDUCED LANDSLIDE
Earthquake-induced landslide may lead to erosion; burial and blockage of roads and rivers.

5. TSUNAMI
The effects of tsunami includes flooding; coastal erosion; drowning of people and damage to
properties.

6. FIRE HAZARD
Indirectly caused by earthquake. Fires can be sparked from power or gas lines or other
flammable facilities that are damages during earthquakes.

Fire may start or aggravated by the following:

 Fire outbreak by electrical short circuit; toppling of lamps, candles.
  Explosion of petroleum, gas tanks may cause spreading of fire.

Note:
Fire may burn anything that goes near with it and may bring wide spread damage to humans,
animals, properties and the environment. It could kill humans and animals through burning and
suffocation and give off poisonous gases that may pollute the environment.

“Earthquake don’t kill people, buildings do.”

Earthquakes located in isolated areas far from human population rarely cause any deaths.
Thus, earthquake hazard depends on:

1. Population Density
Higher the population density, higher the casualty of the hazard in a certain area. The more
people there are, the more deaths.

2. Construction Standards (building codes)

Building codes are sets of regulations governing the design, construction, alteration, and
maintenance of structures. They specify the minimum requirements to adequately safeguard the
health, safety, and welfare of building occupants. Non-compliance to building codes will
compromise the structures and the lives of its occupants.

3. Emergency Preparedness
Less economically developed countries (LEDC’s) have less time, money and expertise to
prepare for hazards while more economically developed countries (MEDC’s) have more money
to prepare and lessen the effects of the disaster.

Currently, the Philippine government intensifies the conduct of earthquake drill in school and
government offices as one step in preparation and mitigation of the different earthquake hazards
that the country may experience.

We should learn from the past experiences and prepare for the future since we cannot control
and stop disasters from happening, we can only limit the damage that they cause.
 INTERPRET DIFFERENT EARTHQUAKE HAZARD
MAPS

What is a Hazard Map?

A hazard map is a map that highlights areas that are affected by or are vulnerable to a particular
hazard. They are typically created for natural hazards, such as earthquakes, volcanoes,
landslides, flooding and tsunamis. Hazard maps help prevent serious damage and deaths.

Hazard maps provide important information to help people understand the risks of natural
hazards and to help mitigate disasters. Hazard maps indicate the extent of expected risk areas,
and can be combined with disaster management information such as evacuation sites,
evacuation routes, and so forth.

A Seismic Design Categories will help us in interpreting an earthquake map. The following table
describes the hazard level associated with each SDC and the associated levels of shaking.
How to Read and Interpret an Earthquake Hazard Map?
The colors in the maps denote “seismic design categories” (SDCs), which reflect the likelihood
of experiencing earthquake shaking of various intensities. Hazards are measured as the
likelihood of experiencing earthquake shaking of various intensities.

Color white in the map indicates a very small probability of experiencing damaging earthquake
effects (low risk) while colored red in the map which is near major active faults capable of
producing the most intense shaking (high risk) as indicated in the Seismic Design Categories.
There are also seven important components of a map. These components will also help you read
and interpret a map in the future.
1. Compass rose - This will give you the proper direction. This is also called it “orientation.”
2. Title - It tells what the map is about.
3. Symbols - These are pictures instead of symbols.
4. Legend or Key - It explains the meaning of symbols and colour.
5. Colour - It highlights the important information to help interpret maps.
6. Scale - It shows the proportion of map to real life. 8 These are intersecting lines to help locate
specific places on the map. In some maps, it is also called “border.”
7. Grid Reference - These are intersecting lines to help locate specific places on the map. In
some maps, it is also called “border.”