Damage from Earthquakes Earthquakes kill people and cause property damage. Collapsing structures are the major cause of destruction and death. The fires that follow most earthquakes also cause a lot of destruction and death. Several factors determine how destructive and deadly an earthquake is. One factor is earthquake intensity, but this factor may not be as important as you might think. A much more important factor is the quality of structures. Structures that are built to be earthquake proof are less likely to suffer damage and collapse than ordinary structures. Other factors... Show more Damage from Earthquakes Earthquakes kill people and cause property damage. Collapsing structures are the major cause of destruction and death. The fires that follow most earthquakes also cause a lot of destruction and death. Several factors determine how destructive and deadly an earthquake is. One factor is earthquake intensity, but this factor may not be as important as you might think. A much more important factor is the quality of structures. Structures that are built to be earthquake proof are less likely to suffer damage and collapse than ordinary structures. Other factors that influence how destructive and deadly an earthquake is include population density, whether the earthquake triggers a tsunami, and the type of ground upon which buildings are constructed. The following examples illustrate the influence of these factors. - A magnitude 9.2 earthquake occurred near Anchorage, Alaska, in 1964. Despite the enormous intensity of the earthquake, it caused only 131 deaths. The main reason is that relatively few people lived in the hardest hit area. - A magnitude 9.0 earthquake occurred in the Indian Ocean in 2004. About 230,000 people died in this earthquake. Most of them were killed by the huge tsunami that followed the earthquake. - Soft sediments vibrate more during an earthquake than does solid bedrock, so structures built on sediments are more likely to be damaged and collapse. Sediments that are saturated with water also undergo liquefaction when the ground shakes, and they become like quicksand. Liquefied soil on a hillside may slide downhill in a landslide, burying homes and even entire village. Liquefied soil under buildings may cause them to collapse. For example, liquefied soil in the 1985 Mexico City earthquake caused a tremendous amount of damage to buildings and other structures. Show less
Damage from Earthquakes Earthquakes kill people and cause property damage. Collapsing structures are the major cause of destruction and death. The fires that follow most earthquakes also cause a lot of destruction and death. Several factors determine how destructive and deadly an earthquake is. One factor is earthquake intensity, but this factor may not be as important as you might think. A much more important factor is the quality of structures. Structures that are built to be earthquake proof are less likely to suffer damage and collapse than ordinary structures.
Other factors that influence how destructive and deadly an earthquake is include population density, whether the earthquake triggers a tsunami, and the type of ground upon which buildings are constructed.
The following examples illustrate the influence of these factors. - A magnitude 9.2 earthquake occurred near Anchorage, Alaska, in 1964. Despite the enormous intensity of the earthquake, it caused only 131 deaths. The main reason is that relatively few people lived in the hardest hit area. - A magnitude 9.0 earthquake occurred in the Indian Ocean in 2004. About 230,000 people died in this earthquake. Most of them were killed by the huge tsunami that followed the earthquake. - Soft sediments vibrate more during an earthquake than does solid bedrock, so structures built on sediments are more likely to be damaged and collapse. Sediments that are saturated with water also undergo liquefaction when the ground shakes, and they become like quicksand. Liquefied soil on a hillside may slide downhill in a landslide, burying homes and even entire village. Liquefied soil under buildings may cause them to collapse. For example, liquefied soil in the 1985 Mexico City earthquake caused a tremendous amount of damage to buildings and other structures.
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