An earthquake is a sudden movement in the earths crust produced by a rapid release of stress along a fault line or by volcanic activity.

The energy radiates in all directions.Earthquakes cause the ground to shake violently.Cracks are formed in the walls of the buildings and sometimes they tumble down causing widespread damage to life and Property. The place of origin of the earthquake is known as focus. A shallow focus may be near the earths surface down to 70 Km below the ground. An intensively deep focus may be located 70 to 300 Km below the surface.From the focus the earthquake spreads in all directions in the form of vibrations or seismic waves.

Occurrence of an earthquake

These waves appear like the waves which are produced in a calm pond when a stone or a large pebble is dropped in it. The impact of the stone sets the waves in motion that Appear as ripples on the surface of the pond.These waves radiate throughout the earth. Even though the energy depletes rapidly with increasing distance from the focus sensitive Instruments are able to record the vibrations worldwide. The point directly above the focus on the earth s surface is known as the epicenter of the earthquake.

Earthquakes large or small have shaken the earth billions of years.It was only after the 1960s That seismologists plotted thousands of earthquake epicenters and found that they Corresponded with the boundaries where crustal plates moved relative to each other. The slow but constant movement subjects the plate borders to tremondous stress which builds within the bedrock for decades until it is suddenly released as vibration or seismic waves that make up an earthquake.

A sudden jolt of the quake may last only a few seconds or stretch over a few minutes. It spreads from the focus to different directions.

There are elevated portions and areas of subsidence on the earth.In addition to these there are places where vertical displacements have taken place.Offsets in railway lines, Roads, fence lines and other structures indicate horizontal movements. These movements are usually associated with large faults or fractures in the earth. The motions along the faults can be explained by the theory of plate tectonics. The large lithospheric plates are in continous motion. These mobile slabs interact or rub Against the adjoining plates. The friction results in the straining and deforming of the rocks at their edges. Most earthquakes occur along these faults associated with plate boundaries.

1. Slipping of tectonic plates in the crust is a major cause of earthquakes. They may slip past each other, snap or make other rapid movement specially along their Edges or cracks(faults) and results in earthquakes. 2. The movement of the molten rocks below or on the earth s surface is caused by the movement of the crusted plates. 3.Human activities like blasting dynamite can also trigger earthquakes. 4.In the areas of intense mining, sometime the roofs of underground mines collapse causing minor tremors.

The seismic waves produced by the earthquake travel rapidly outward in all the directions. Seismic waves release large amounts of energy in a short time. There are three kinds of seismic waves: 1.Waves that move the fastest are called primary or P waves 2.The somewhat slower waves are secondary or S waves 3.The slowest waves are the long or L waves, which cause extensive damage as they move along the earth s surface. All the three waves can be detected and recorded by a sensitive instrument called a Seismograph. A seismograph is anchored to the ground.

The three kinds of seismic waves

When the earth trembles during an earthquake a device suspended within the Seismograph makes tracings on a paper or film producing patterns of lines called Seismogram. The seismogram reveals how much energy was released during a quake. Scientists analyse seismograms to find out the focus of the earthquake, its duration and intensity. The Richter Scale, named after the seismologists who developed it during the 1930s and the 1940s indicates the magnitude of an earthquake.The readings of seismic waves Determine a quakes position on the scale.The scale has no limits.To date, earthquakes from -2 to 9 have been measured. Any quake over the magnitude of six is a major one. Another system,the Modified Mercalli Scale measures the intensity of an earthquake, its impact on structures,people and the earths surface. The quakes position on the scale Is known using Roman digits I-XII.XII represents the most destructive earthquake while I indicates that the earthquake was not felt . The Mercalli scale was named after the Italian Seismologist Giuseppe Mercallui.

The seismograph, suspended within the seismogram detects the earthquake waves.

Seismographic frequency

Nine out of ten earthquakes are either too less in intensity or occur in very remote regions. So they do not cause any damage. Another 30-40 cause small scale problems while 10 to 20 Cause major damages and make headlines. Almost every five years a massive quake occurs to devastate a wide area. An earthquake is a natural hazard.They may affect landforms by shaking, landslides, soil liquefaction,avalanches, ground displacement and faulting.Earthquakes may give rise to the dangerous tsunami waves,cause structural damage to bulidings and bring floods by bursting dams or levees or even start fires.

Earthquakes frequently occur in the pacific region along the ring of fire.This includes the western coast of north and south America, the aleutian Islands and the island groups Along the east coast of asia.Nearly of the earthquakes of the world occur in this belt.

Earthquakes are an environmental hazard specially if they exceed the magnitude of 6. Buildings and other structures collapse, power and telephone lines rupture.There may be fires.It breaks water supply line and the mixing of sewer water with drinking Water supplies could cause diseases.Floods occur if dams are breached.Disrupted rail and Road network may make rescue difficult.Earthquake affected areas need immediate relief Like providing food,medicine and shelter to the victims,shifting the affected people to safer Areas, reclamation of agricultural land and employment opportunities.However, it takes many years for an area to return to near normal state, after it is devastated in by an Earthquake.

Date 23 Dec,2004

Place 495 Km north of Macquarie Island, South-West of New Zealand 8.1

Magnitude

26 Dec,2004

Off the west coast, northern Sumatra,Indonesia

9.3

20 March,2005 13 June,2005 15 June,2005 16 Aug,2005 26 Sep,2005 8 Oct,2005 3 May,2006

Kyushu region,japan Tarapaca, hile Offshore of North alifornia,USA Tohoko region,Japan Northern Peru Kashmir Tonga

7.0 7.8 7.2 7.2 7.5 7.6 7.9

1.During a severe earthquake, movement along a fault causes the ground to move forward And backward, heave up and down or shift from side to side. 2.Dangerous earthquakes can cause landslides or tsunami in the ocean waters which can cause destruction in places far away from their place of origin. 3.Numerous earthquakes occur along the subduction zones where one continental plate Meets with another oceanic plate and grinds down below the edge of a continent. The main slippage occurs deep underground and at the focus where the earthquake Originates. 4.There are about 6,000 noticeable earthquakes each year. On an average, earthquakes Exceeding 8 on the Richter Scale occur about every five years and cause widespread Destruction. Mild earthquakes occur almost every minute. 5.A tsunami is a huge wave-train .earthquakes under the sea set off under-water ripples. These reach the land and accumulate to form huge destructive waves.