How do earthquakes happen- - World Vision emergencies
0 (0 Likes / 0 Dislikes)
The Earth is covered in tectonic plates
that slowly move around its surface
most of the time we don't feel it
The places where they measure are called fault lines
and there's where most of the earthquakes happen.
the edges of the faults rub and sometimes get stuck together
there is then a build up of energy as the plates continue trying to move.
or come under pressure from other plates
when it becomes too great, the plates suddenly slick
releasing energy in seismic waves
that shake the Earth as they move through it
Earthquakes are recorded by sensitive instruments
and measured on the Richter scale
It's an exponential scale which means every number up
is a tenfold increase in the size of the earthquake.
Earthquakes that measure up to about 4
Or with epicenter
At six, some buildings are generally damaged
depending on the quality of contruction and how they the Earth
The earthquakes originators. Quakes close to the surface produce more damaging energy waves
that even earthquakes of this size can be devastating
The one that strucked Christchurch in New Zealand measured 6.3
but killed nearly 200 people
In the sevens, buildings can separate from their foundations
Underground pipes may be broken and there will be visible cracks in the Earth
A magnitude-seven earthquake caused the death of about 220,000 people
When strucked Haiti in 2010.
An earthquake measuring nine or more on the Richter Scale
would make almost total devastation
and the energy waves would be visible as they moved through the Earth
The earthquake behind the Boxing Day tsunami measured 9.1
and it was a magnitude-9 that devastated part of Japan in 2011
Unfortunately, natural disasters are out of our control
but what we can do is put money aside
to ensure there's a piggy bank ready to go in an emergency