THESIS STATEMENT. Earthquakes and seismic activity which are caused by shifts in
Tectonic plates at fault lines have many effects and impacts not only including those on
humans, but also biological, and geographical repercussions.
BODY OF ARGUMENT
What is the cause of earthquakes and seismic activity?
-
An earthquake is the shaking of the ground caused by an abrupt shift of rock
along a fracture in the Earth, called a fault. Within seconds, an earthquake
releases stress that has slowly accumulated within the rock, sometimes over
hundreds of years. (Noson, Qamar, & Thorsen 1988)
-
Today, scientists monitor the buildup of strain near locked faults using satellite
observations, and the pattern is much like Reid hypothesized 100 years ago.
(d’Alessio, 2007)
What are the human effects of earthquakes?
-
Health: Earthquakes and its consequences present a major public health problem.
Like other natural disasters, often without warning, they strike quickly, and are
uncontrollable, affecting large population and leaving injury, death, and
destruction subsequently. After earth quick, with the loss of loved ones and
livelihood, survivors are at increased risk for experiencing psychological distress,
including posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD).The prevalence of PTSD reported
in victim of earth quake trauma ranges from 13-95% (1). (Ziaaddini, Nakhaee,
Behzadi 2009)
-
Health: 26 tetanus patients were admitted to eight hospitals following the
earthquakes that occurred on May, 27, 2006, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia (Sutiono
Qiantori Suwa Ohta 2009)
-
Architectural Damage: Existing reinforced concrete (RC) frame buildings with
non-ductile detailing represent a considerable hazard during earthquakes. This
type of buildings suffered severe damages and were responsible for most of the
loss of life during the major Italian seismic events such as the 1981 Irpinia
earthquake. Improving the seismic response of this type of construction can be
considered as one of the main concern for structural engineers.
-
Loss of life - At 2:28 p.m. on 12 May, 2008, a devastating earthquake measuring
8.0 on the Richter scale hit Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province in southwest
China, and resulted in the deaths of thousands of people. To date, few
epidemiological studies have been conducted on the determinants of the mortality
of patients hospitalized after an earthquake. (Wen, Shi, Li, Wang,
Cheng, Gao, & Li 2009)
What are the biological effects, on the flora and fauna surrounding the earthquake?
-
Violent earthquakes are very destructive. They often cause avalanches which dam
and form lakes and the shaking of the ground some forms depressions in which
lakes and ponds gather are thrown down cracks in which plants and animals are
swallowed up are opened in the ground and great destruction of life is caused by the
overturning of houses. (Phillips, & Tarr, 1912)
What are the geographical effects of earthquakes?
-
The term "landslide" describes a wide variety of processes that result in the
downward and outward movement of slope-forming materials including rock,
soil, artificial fill, or a combination of these. The materials may move by falling,
toppling, sliding, spreading, or flowing. (Landslide Types and Processes, July
2004)
-
Tsunamis such as those that pounded Papua New Guinea are the world's most
powerful waves. Historical patterns of their occurrence are revealed in large
databases developed by James F. Lander, Patricia A. Lockridge and their
colleagues at the National Geophysical Data Center in Boulder, Colo., and
Viacheslav K. Gusiakov and his associates at the Tsunami Laboratory in
Novosibirsk, Russia. Most tsunamis afflict the Pacific Ocean, and 86 percent of
those are the products of undersea earthquakes around the Pacific Rim, where
powerful collisions of tectonic plates form highly seismic subduction zones.
(Gonzalez 1999)
-
In both 1989 and 1906, buildings and streets had lots of damage where they were
built on wet sand layers. This sand had been deposited not long ago neither by
rivers and creeks or by humans making new land by dumping sand into water
bodies. Normally such sandy soil provides excellent support for buildings, but
earthquake shaking jiggles the sand and squeezes the water trapped between the
grains so much that the layer begins to act like a muddy liquid. We call this
process liquefaction. (Holzer, 2007)
REFERENCES
Ziaaddini, H., Nakhaee, N., & Behzadi, K. (Jan 2009). Prevalence and correlates of
PTSD among high school students after the earthquake disaster in the City of Bam, Iran.
(Post traumatic stress disorder)(Report). American Journal of Applied
Sciences, 6, 1. p.130 (3).
Sutiono, A. B., Qiantori, A., Suwa, H., & Ohta, T. (March 6, 2009). Characteristic tetanus
infection in disaster-affected areas: case study of the Yogyakarta earthquakes in
Indonesia. (Short Report)(Report). BMC Research Notes, 2, 34. p.34.
Mazzolani, F M, Corte, G. D., & D'Aniello, M. (March 2009). Experimental analysis of
steel dissipative bracing systems for seismic upgrading /Stiprinamu pastatu seisminius
poveikius slopinaneiu plieniniu rysiniu sistemu eksperimentiniai tyrimai. Journal of Civil
Engineering and Management, 15, 1. p.7 (13).
Wen, J., Shi, Y. K., Li, Y. P., Wang, L., Cheng, L., Gao, Z., & Li, L. (Feb 27, 2009). Risk
factors of earthquake inpatient death: a case control study. (Research)(Report). Critical
Care, 13, R24. p.R24.
Noson, Qamar, & Thorsen (1988). Washington State earthquake hazards. Washington
State Department of Natural Resources, Washington Division of Geology and Earth
Resources Information Circular, 85, 1, 1-100.
Phillips, W., & Tarr, R. (1912). New Physical Geography. Harvard University:
Macmillan Co. Republished in 2009.
Landslide Types and Processes. (July 2004). U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet, 20043072, Version 1.0. Updated 2008.
Gonzalez, F. (May 1999). TSUNAMI!. Scientific American Magazine, 5, 11. Updated
2009.
d’Alessio M.D. , M. (September 2007). The Earthquake Machine: What 1906 taught us
about how earthquakes work. San Fransisco Chronicle in Education., .: U.S. Geological
Survey.
Holzer, T. (September 2007). Liquification - When the ground flows. San Fransisco
Chronicle in Education.: U.S. Geological Survey.