Gonzalez

 1  

Frankie  Gonzalez  

ENG  111-­24  

Ms.  Browning  

7  November  2017  

The  Power  of  Earthquakes  

  Studies  have  shown  that  there  is  roughly  about  twenty  thousand  earthquakes  

every  year,  an  estimated  fifty  a  day,  around  the  world.    Earthquake’s  are  extremely  

dangerous  and  deadly  natural  disasters.    Earthquakes  are  caused  by  the  powerful  

movement  of  rocks  in  the  Earth’s  crust.    There  are  numerous  harmful  effects  that  are  

results  of  powerful  earthquakes.    Fires,  landslides  and  tsunamis  are  a  few  of  the  many  

disasters  earthquakes  cause.    In  just  this  year  alone,  there  has  been  over  a  thousand  

earthquakes  over  a  5.0  magnitude.    The  dangerous  effects  of  these  earthquakes  

resulted  in  a  total  of  over  ten  thousand  casualties  around  the  world.    

  The  Ring  of  Fire  is  to  blame  for  many  of  the  most  intense  earthquakes.    About  

eighty  percent  of  the  world’s  most  powerful  earthquakes  strike  in  the  area  of  the  Ring  of  

Fire.    Chile,  Japan,  and  the  United  States  west  coast  are  at  the  greatest  risk  of  

destructive  earthquakes.    Sometimes  earthquakes  can  be  predicted,  but  scientists  are  

not  always  able  to  predict  how  strong  and  how  much  damage  earthquakes  will  cause.    

When  earthquakes  are  stronger  than  predicted,  fires,  landslides,  and  tsunamis  can  be  

catastrophic.      

  Fires  are  one  of  the  most  common  occurring  side  effects  when  powerful  

earthquakes  happen.  The  strong  vibrations  caused  by  severe  earthquakes  violently  

shake  the  buildings  causing  severe  fires  in  houses,  mines  and  factories.    Fires  caused  
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by  earthquakes  are  especially  dangerous,  because  water  lines  that  lead  to  fire  hydrants  

typically  used  to  put  out  fires  can  be  broken  due  to  the  earthquake.    For  example,  in  

1906,  The  Great  San  Francisco  Earthquake  caused  massive  fires  that  burned  the  city  

for  days.    These  fires  are  usually  caused  by  overturning  of  cooking  gas,  contact  of  live  

electrical  wires,  and  the  churning  of  blast  furnaces.    The  fires  can  get  out  of  control  and  

spread  rather  quickly  resulting  in  mass  area  deconstruction.    

  Another  very  common  and  extremely  dangerous  effect  of  earthquakes  are  

landslides.    The  shocks  produced  by  earthquakes  especially  in  hilly  areas  and  

mountains  which  are  tectonically  sensitive  cause  the  landslides.    As  a  result,  debris  falls  

onto  cars,  buildings  and  houses  causing  structural  damage.    This  can  put  cities  and  

town  in  great  danger  and  costs  an  outstanding  amount  of  money  to  rebuild.    The  debris  

from  broken  buildings  and  houses  can  eventually  make  up  a  “landslide  damn”  and  

cause  flooding.  

Tsunamis  can  create  a  great  deal  of  water  that  builds  up.    Tsunamis  eventually  

can  lead  to  a  flood  which  as  a  result  sometimes  leads  to  landslides.    Landslides  can  

create  large  amounts  of  debris  along  with  the  tsunamis.    Landslides  most  often  occur  on  

hills  and  other  elevated  surfaces.    These  surfaces  are  typically  rockier  and  contain  

gravel.    Landslides  happen  when  a  large  mass  of  water  is  collected  in  one  spot  and  

pushes  on  soil,  mud,  grass  and  rocks.    The  earth  begins  to  shift  due  to  the  water  

pushing  on  it.    Landslides  can  greatly  affect  houses  and  other  buildings.    Since  the  

ground  shifts  and  moves,  the  foundation  of  buildings  slowly  move  out  of  place.    As  the  

foundation  moves,  the  buildings  and  homes  lose  their  support  and  come  crashing  down.    

Crumbling  of  buildings  is  a  huge  concern  after  landslides.    As  buildings  crumble  down,  
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cars,  people  and  other  structures  can  be  harmed.    The  amount  of  damage  structurally  

and  mentally  affects  the  society  as  a  whole.      

       By  far,  the  most  destructive  natural  disaster  resulting  from  earthquakes  are  

Tsunamis.    Tsunamis  are  caused  by  earthquakes  with  an  epicenter  or  fault  line  near  or  

on  the  ocean  floor.    The  disturbance  of  the  ocean  surface  causes  displacement  of  water  

and  forms  large  tsunami  waves.    Tsunamis  are  also  sometimes  known  as  harbor  

waves,  because  they  might  only  appear  as  an  abnormal  wave,  but  destroy  whole  towns  

on  land.    Although  they  are  almost  unnoticeable  when  they  are  at  sea,  tsunamis  grow  in  

height  as  they  reach  shore  and  become  extremely  dangerous.    Tsunamis  form  large  

walls  of  water  that  travel  at  high  speeds  and  drag  debris  into  the  ocean.    Large  tsunamis  

can  have  multiple  large  waves  that  last  for  hours.        

  Every  time  an  earthquake  happens  people  may  not  always  feel  it.    Some  

earthquakes  occur  under  the  sea  and  can  lead  to  more  disastrous  events.    Earthquakes  

may  sometimes  trigger  Tsunamis  that  cause  monstrous  destruction  to  buildings,  school,  

homes  and  other  structures.    In  many  causes,  large  earthquakes  that  occur  on  land  or  

in  the  ocean  cause  vibrations  that  trigger  Tsunamis.    Largely  populated  cities  can  be  

absolutely  destroyed  and  go  under  water  after  a  Tsunamis  occurs.  

  Overall,  earthquakes  are  extremely  deadly  and  can  cause  many  other  extreme  

natural  disasters.    Landslides,  fires,  and  Tsunamis  happen  as  a  result  of  earthquakes.    

Earthquakes  that  are  stronger  than  a  5.0  magnitude  are  very  destructive  and  lead  to  

disaster.    As  technology  continues  to  improve,  scientists  will  be  able  to  predict  stronger  

earthquakes  and  become  more  prepared  for  natural  disasters  that  result  from  

earthquakes.    In  areas  around  the  Ring  of  Fire,  construction  workers  have  begun  to  
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strengthen  foundations  of  buildings  and  water  lines  to  prevent  fires  and  other  buildings  

from  crumbling.    Hopefully  in  the  future,  people  will  be  able  to  prepare  for  earthquakes  

and  the  disasters  that  occur  afterward.    With  preparation  casualties  can  be  limited  and  

people  can  become  more  knowledgeable  about  the  power  of  earthquakes.