Unfortunately, we see in the news reports that that is relative. Earthquakes once again indicate that the ground under our feet can be quite desirable regarding rigidity. Big ravages and many victims can be the consequence of the phenomenon that may have taken place within seconds.
3 million earthquakes per year – Every day around 8000 earthquakes occur, or about every 11 seconds! Conversely, it’s about 3 million a year!
Nevertheless, most of them do no noticeable damage, nor are they affected by any earthquake victims. That’s because many earthquakes occur in places where no people live.
For example, many so-called seafarers take place. This name is not quite correct because it’s not the sea itself, but the bottom of the earth below it, which is moving. About 60% of the earth’s surface is sea, which means that many fugitives located outside the inhabited world. However, these can cause a dangerous Tsunami.
Big destruction in a short period
When an earthquake occurs in a populated area, the large damage has inflated in a short period, and many victims can fall. The better measuring equipment nowadays enables us to measure the smaller earthquakes well. It seems that we are getting more and more with this phenomenon, but in reality, we can measure them better.
Causes – There are several reasons for the occurrence of earthquakes
Many earthquakes are caused by moving earthquakes. These plates, which make up the earth’s costs, move slowly towards each other. First, a voltage is built up until the motion occurs suddenly at excessive voltage. This is going to be shocking. In the hours after that, aftershocks can occur as the various layers of earth adapt to the new situation.
There are also other causes that can cause (smaller) earthquakes. Examples of this are volcanic activities. Also, collapsing cavities and mines can cause friction or soil degradation through extraction of natural gas.
Richter (a system used to measure the strength of an earthquake)
To use the strength of an earthquake, Richter’s scale is used. This scale is logarithmic, and any increment with a value of 1 on this scale means 10 times as severe earthquake. That means that a 5-winger on Richter’s scale is 10 times as high as that of 4.
People do not even feel the light rails with a strength of less than 3. With a force of 4 there is damage, and from 7 we are talking about heavy and very heavy earthquakes. The heaviest we measured since 1900 had a strength of 9.5 and took place in Chile. The quarrel with which most casualties fell, had a force of 8, but it took place in densely populated areas. About 250,000 victims were sorry.
Consequences – Earthquakes can have different consequences
First of all, there are of course the vibration. These are not dangerous in themselves but cause danger of collapse of buildings and falling debris. This damage can also be the cause of fire, leakage (liquids and gases) and floods.
In addition, Landslides and Avalanches can Occur
When a sword occurs at sea, a wave can occur. When this wave goes to land, where it becomes shallower, it can be pushed to high heights. An example of this is the massive devastation caused by the Tsunami in 2004 on the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. This Tsunami was caused by the never-ending earthquake with a force of 9. The Tsunami moves slowly, allowing it to speak only in some places after 5 hours.
Preparing for an Earthquake
One can not predict when an earthquake will take place. However, one can predict a bit, where a quake might occur, by studying, for example, the fracture lines and the places where earthquakes have taken place.
In such areas, one can then adapt the structures to such conditions so that they are more resistant to vibrations.
The emergency services can also be prepared better here so that more action can be taken if it goes wrong and people can be better informed.
Despite the fact that we now know exactly what the causes of earthquakes are, their sudden action and repeated appearance are almost as disturbing as the ignorance that was left over. Geologists have sought a search for the ability to predict the coming of earthquakes.
Old theories about Earthquakes
Earlier there were theories about earthquakes that came in the direction of predictions. Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, tried to explain the existence of earthquakes through his theory of air that was trapped in caves below the earth’s surface. The rumor under the earth was, therefore, the result of blocked cavities from which air was trying to escape.
Pliny the Elder of Roman times, the man who died at the time of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, thought in the same way as Aristotle, that there was a blockade of air in the earth. Caves and Wells were needed for this trapped air to escape. He often suggested that holes should be drilled into the ground to release trapped air. Nowadays, we happily know what the real cause of earthquakes is.
Former Earthquakes
There have been many attempts over the years to predict earthquakes by looking at small seismic events that always took place around the time of the earthquake, hoping that the way it would appear is the power and place of the earthquake. Where the earthquake would take place was to be predicted.
At the time of the Mount St. Helen’s earthquake and the volcanic eruption in 1980, shining light shook was possible with accurate predictions about the earthquake and the volcanic eruption. But the exact time of the explosion was unpredictable, and the most accurate thing the experts could afford was to say that an explosion occurred within a few weeks.
That level of accuracy has proved successful not only in the case of Mount St. Helen’s but also in many other earthquakes that returned in Alaska, where after a long period a regular pattern appeared in the earthquakes.
The Tangshan earthquake in 1976 was probably kept secret for three years because the Chinese found that they had developed similar methods for predicting earthquakes. But unfortunately, they were completely wrong about the Tangshan earthquake. It was the greatest earthquake in the deaths of the twentieth century.