NATURAL PHENOMENA
Disaster caused by natural forces rather than by
human action that affects the environment, and
leads to financial, environmental and/or human
losses.
Some types of natural phenomena are –
Volcanic eruption, Lightning, Earthquakes,
Tsunamis, Tornadoes, Drought, etc.
Here, we will be discussing about some of the
natural phenomenas.
EARTHQUAKE
An Earthquake is a sudden shaking or trembling of the earth which
lasts for a very short time. It is caused by a disturbance deep inside
the earth’s crust. Earthquakes occur all the time, all over the earth.
They can cause immense damage to buildings, bridges, dams and
people and can be a great loss to life and property. Earthquakes can
cause floods, landslides and tsunamis.
The upper most layer of Earth’s
surface consists of several large
slabs of rocks called Tectonic
plates. These plates move very
slowly and usually slide past each
other. However, sometimes these
plates get stuck together and
Destruction caused due to an earthquake
cannot move, so pressure builds up.
This pressure on the rock plates makes the land shake violently,
leading to earthquakes. The boundaries of the plates are the weak
zones where earthquakes are more likely to occur.
In India, the most threatened areas are Kashmir, Western and
Central Himalayas, the whole of North-East, Rann of Kutch,
Rajasthan and the Indo-Gangetic Plane. Some areas of South India
also fall in the danger zone.
Intensity of the earthquake is measured on the Richter scale
(invented by Charles Francis Richter in 1935) which runs from
0 to 9 levels.
The tremors produce waves on the surface of the earth.
These are called seismic waves. The waves are recorded by
an instrument called the Seismograph. By studying these
waves, scientists can construct a complete map of the
earthquake.
Map of the Earthquake
A major earthquake occurred on 26 January 2001 in Bhuj
district of Gujarat and also occurred in India on 8 October
2005 in Uri and Tangdhar towns of North Kashmir.
