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What Do All the Recent Earthquakes Mean

In the past couple of days, the earth has seen a number of large earthquakes on
different sides of the world.
The coast of Sumatra was shaken by an 8.6 temblor, followed by an 8.2 aftershock last
night, the nited States !eological Sur"ey reports. #ours later, $e%ico was hit by a 6.&
quake, followed by a 6.'. Then, there was a &.' off (regon)s coast, followed by a &.* in
+alifornia.
There are appro%imately 2,,,,, earthquakes e"ery year, or about && per day. The "ast
ma-ority of these quakes are small, and we can e%pect about .6 ma-or earthquakes in
any gi"en year, according to the S!S. There are about one or two earthquakes in the
/., 0 8., range each month 1the last one in that range happened in +hile on $arch 2&2.
Measuring and locating earthquakes
3arthquakes can be recorded by seismometers up to great distances, because seismic
wa"es tra"el through the whole 3arth4s interior. The absolute magnitude of a quake is
con"entionally reported by numbers on the $oment magnitude scale 1formerly 5ichter
scale, magnitude / causing serious damage o"er large areas2, whereas the felt
magnitude is reported using the modified $ercalli intensity scale 1intensity II06II2.
3"ery tremor produces different types of seismic wa"es, which tra"el through rock with
different "elocities7
8ongitudinal 9:wa"es 1shock: or pressure wa"es2
Trans"erse S:wa"es 1both body wa"es2
Surface wa"es ; 15ayleigh and 8o"e wa"es2
9ropagation "elocity of the seismic wa"es ranges from appro%. * km<s up to .* km<s,
depending on the density and elasticity of the medium. In the 3arth4s interior the shock:
or 9 wa"es tra"el much faster than the S wa"es 1appro%. relation ../ 7 .2. The
differences in tra"el time from the epicentre to the obser"atory are a measure of the
distance and can be used to image both sources of quakes and structures within the
3arth. =lso the depth of the hypocenter can be computed roughly.
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Effects of earthquakes
1. Shaking and ground rupture
Shaking and ground rupture are the main effects created by earthquakes,
principally resulting in more or less se"ere damage to buildings and other
rigid structures.
2. Landslides and avalanches
3arthquakes, along with se"ere storms, "olcanic acti"ity, coastal wa"e
attack, and wildfires, can produce slope instability leading to landslides, a
ma-or geological ha>ard. 8andslide danger may persist while emergency
personnel are attempting rescue.
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3. Fires
3arthquakes can cause fires by damaging electrical power or gas lines. In
the e"ent of water mains rupturing and a loss of pressure, it may also
become difficult to stop the spread of a fire once it has started.
4. Soil liquefaction
Soil liquefaction occurs when, because of the shaking, water:saturated
granular material 1such as sand2 temporarily loses its strength and
transforms from a solid to a liquid. Soil liquefaction may cause rigid
structures, like buildings and bridges, to tilt or sink into the liquefied
deposits.
5. Tsunai
Tsunamis are long:wa"elength, long:period sea wa"es produced by the
sudden or abrupt mo"ement of large "olumes of water. In the open ocean
the distance between wa"e crests can surpass .,, kilometers 162 mi2, and
the wa"e periods can "ary from fi"e minutes to one hour. Such tsunamis
tra"el 6,,:8,, kilometers per hour 1*/*0@'/ miles per hour2, depending
on water depth
!. Floods
= flood is an o"erflow of any amount of water that reaches land. Aloods
occur usually when the "olume of water within a body of water, such as a
ri"er or lake, e%ceeds the total capacity of the formation, and as a result
some of the water flows or sits outside of the normal perimeter of the body.
". #uan ipacts
=n earthquake may cause in-ury and loss of life, road and bridge damage,
general propert$ daage 1which may or may not be co"ered by earthquake
insurance2, and collapse or destabili>ation 1potentially leading to future collapse2
of buildings. The aftermath may bring disease, lack of basic necessities, and
higher insurance premiums.
%&'&()*
..Bikipedia 3arthquake. 5etrie"ed =pril .6, 2,.2 from, http7<<en.wikipedia.org<wiki<3art hquake
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2. Bhat Co =ll the %ecent +arthquakes $eanD : =E+ Fews 5etrie"ed =pril .6, 2,.2 from,
http7<<abcnews.go.com<blogs<technology<2,.2<,@<what:do:all:the:recent:earthquakes:
mean<
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