Power of the Quake Essay - 1662 Words

Power of the quake When humans are under tremendous pressure, they are told that they should try and relieve some stress. The same is true of mother earth when she is under a terrible strain; she has to relieve some stress, only Earths version of blowing off some steam is very deadly and extremely terrifying. An earthquake is a vibration of the Earths surface that follows a release of energy in the Earths crust. There are various ways this energy is released. Manmade explosions, dislocation of segments of the crust or volcanic eruptions are all triggers for an Earthquake; however, most are caused by a slippage of faults. A fault is a fracture in the Earths crust along which two blocks of the crust have slipped within one another.†¦show more content†¦Gigantic waves of up to 100 feet high that can travel of speeds in excess of 500 miles per hour the Tsunami is one of the fiercest forces of nature there is. The name Tsunami derived from Japan because that is where a lot occur but it was an Earthquake in the â€Å"Big Bend† territory that registered an 8.5 on the Richter scale that produced 70-foot waves and was the worst ever to strike South America. Forty percent of all damaging Tsunamis come from South America. Chile and Peru account for more Earthquakes per square mile th an anywhere else in the world. As we have seen so far, Earthquakes can cause massive damage and they are Earths most natural disaster. In 1906, along the San Andreas Fault, the city of San Francisco suffered from an Earthquake that registered an 8.2 on the Richter scale. The significance of this Earthquake was not just the magnitude of the quake but also the damage it caused as the city caught on fire. For 48 seconds the ground trembled as buildings collapsed and communities were destroyed. Thousands were left homeless as the town was virtually destroyed from crumbling buildings and spreading fires. The situation was so bad that martial law took place for the first time ever in that city and the damage caused a total in excess of $150,000,000. The earthquake itself very rarely kills anyone. It’s usually falling debris, fires, collapsed structures or chemical spills that cause the most casualties. Technology does play a role and knowing how to buildShow MoreRelatedThe Chile Of Peru And Chile1149 Words   |  5 Pagesearthquake shook Chile. It was approximately 200 miles southwest of Chile and was approximately 375 miles long. A 2014 study attributed the quake to immense water pressure located between the two plates. The region was stricken by strong aftershocks for months after the quake, many of a magnitude of 5.0 Mw or greater. The Tsunami that took place after the initial quake was caused by a portion of seabed rupturing upwards, and displacing a large portion of the water being displaced. This water traveled atRead More Earthquakes Essay1138 Words   |  5 Pagesstrength depends upon the area of the fault length times width on which the slip occurs, the amount of the slip and the inherent stiffness of the nearby rock. An earthquake occurring a 100-km (62-mi) fault is about one billion times stronger than a quake on a 100-m (328-ft) fault. Seismic waves are classified in two areas P-waves, which are your compressional waves, and S-waves, which are shear waves. These waves are used in detection and location of earthquakes. Several thousand seismometers are inRead MoreEarthquake : A Powerful Earthquake1694 Words   |  7 Pagesjust off the coast of central Chile during Wednesday evening local time and has produced a tsunami over the Pacific basin. The quake is the third most powerful earthquake in five years to strike the South America nation. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake registered magnitude 8.3, at 7:54 p.m. local time (4 p.m. PDT) on Wednesday. The quake lasted for approximately three minutes. WATCH: Deadly 8.3 Earthquake Rocks Shoppers in Santiago, Chile The temblor occurred 46Read MoreThe Rise of Earthquakes in Oklahoma Essay1284 Words   |  6 Pagesexperienced over 695 earthquakes and in which residents could feel 65 of them. While Oklahoma is no new comer to earthquakes, it is very apparent that the amount of quakes hitting Oklahoma is on the rise along with the intensity of them. While the largest of these earthquakes measured to be a 4.0, it was still capable of causing power strong enough to crack the sides of buildings along with foundations. This significant rise has the people of Oklahoma worried about future earthquakes and potentialRead MoreEarthquake and Tsunami1658 Words   |  7 Pagesinfrastructure, the  tsunami  caused a number of  nuclear accidents, The Japanese  National Police Agency has confirmed 15,538 deaths,[4][5]  5,685 injured,[4][5]  and 7,060 people missing. 45,700 buildings were destroyed and 144,300 were damaged by the quake and tsunami.    Earthquake the  epicenter  was located approximately 70 kilometres (43  mi) east of the  Oshika Peninsula  of  TÃ… hoku  and the  hypocenter  at an underwater depth of approximately 32  km (20  mi). The earthquake triggered extremely destructiveRead MoreTaking a Look at Earthquake Safety1293 Words   |  5 Pagestrained in topics such natural disaster and how to prepare yourself when it happens. Because earthquakes are felt long after the shaking stops, it is good idea to have an earthquake emergency kit. Even if your house is safe for occupancy following a quake, you may find yourself without many necessities. You may be without gas, electricity and running water. And for several days, there may be no food stores, restaurants or gas stations operating. Roads may be blocked and/or hazardous. The must havesRead MoreJapan Earthquake Of 2011 And The Haiti Earthquake870 Words   |  4 PagesNuclear Power station† (National Centers for Environmental Information), which creates ecological turmoil and environmental damage. In a CBC News report, the agency declares: â€Å"Buildings collapsed and landslides were reported in several communities along the 2,100-kilometre stretch of coastline† (CBC News); thereby, solidifying building collapse and earthquake-induced landslides as large contributors to structural damage. CBC News, in the same article, also informs the publi c of fires, â€Å"The quake andRead MoreThe Great Chilean Earthquake : An Earthquake1508 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Chileans fearfully experienced. The highest ever recorded earthquake in the world was an enormous magnitude of 9.5 so huge that no words could even begin to do justice for the immensity of these tremors. As measured by the Mercalli scale this quake was a XI being the second largest rating on the scale, making itself classified as an â€Å"extremely† damaging natural disaster. The Richter scale is one of two forms of measurement used in regards with earthquakes the other scale is called the MercalliRead MoreNuclear Power Disasters : Fukushima Daiichi920 Words   |  4 PagesNuclear Power Disasters: Fukushima Daiichi Fukushima Daiichi joins the ranks of nuclear disasters that include Chernobyl (1989) and Three Mile Island (1979). Fukushima Daiini, sat alongside Daiichi, and was not damaged during the earthquake or tsunami. It is still operable. Worldwide, there are 439 (GW 377) and 69 (GW 66) nuclear power plants—although not all are in operation, at this time. Nuclear power plants are either nuclear fusion, nuclear fission, or power that is derived from nuclear decayRead MoreThe Japanese 2011 Tsunami844 Words   |  3 Pageswater might have not even reached land which would have resulted in much less deaths and damage (Parker). The worst avoidable disaster caused by the tsunami was the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. The earthquake cut off the power off from the Fukushima Power nuclear power plant, so the backup diesel generators activated to continue cooling the system. If this had not happened, there would have been a nuclear meltdown. The real damage was caused by the tsunami. Diesel fuel tanks and diesel engines