Guys! You must have heard about the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey or Turkiye. Thousands of people have died in this natural disaster. People are evacuated and the rescue mission is ongoing and we pray for the well being of the people affected by Earthquake. After hearing this news many questions arise in mind like What are Earthquakes ? Why do they occur ? How can we know about its intensity ? In this article we will know the answers to the above questions. So, Read it until the end.
Know about the History of Evacuations in India
Earthquake
Earthquake is a natural disaster which is basically the shaking of the earth’s surface causing seismic waves. Earthquakes range in intensity, there are quakes of low intensity which are not even felt and there are some which cause mass destruction.
At the Earth’s surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by shaking and displacing or disrupting the ground. When the epicenter of a large earthquake is located offshore, the seabed may be displaced sufficiently to cause a tsunami. Earthquakes can also trigger landslides.
Why do earthquakes occur ?
The tectonic plates are always slowly moving, but they get stuck at their edges due to friction. When the stress on the edge overcomes the friction, there is an earthquake that releases energy in waves that travel through the earth’s crust and cause the shaking that we feel.
Other reasons of Earthquake :-
Induced Earthquakes :- Induced quakes are caused by human activity, like tunnel construction, filling reservoirs and implementing geothermal or fracking projects.
Volcanic Earthquakes :- Volcanic quakes are associated with active volcanism. They are generally not as powerful as tectonic quakes and often occur relatively near the surface. Consequently, they are usually only felt in the vicinity of the hypocentre.
Collapse Earthquake :- Collapse quakes can be triggered by such phenomena as cave-ins, mostly in karst areas or close to mining facilities, as a result of subsidence.
Intensity of Earthquakes
The earthquakes are measured by a device called seismograph. The intensity of an earthquake at a location is a number that characterizes the severity of ground shaking at that location by considering the effects of the shaking on people, on manmade structures, and on the landscape. This intensity tells us how much destruction capability the particular earthquake has.
A low intensity earthquake may not even be felt by us however the seismograph also records it to understand the geology of the place. A high intensity earthquake like Turkey and Syria is very destructive and many lives and property are lost in the earthquakes.
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