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. 1
IPG KAMPUS TUANKU
BAINUN 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. ? 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 2 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< 3