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?
