essay on earthquake class 9

Earthquake Essay for Students and Children

500+ Words Essay on Earthquake

Simply speaking, Earthquake means the shaking of the Earth’s surface. It is a sudden trembling of the surface of the Earth. Earthquakes certainly are a terrible natural disaster. Furthermore, Earthquakes can cause huge damage to life and property. Some Earthquakes are weak in nature and probably go unnoticed. In contrast, some Earthquakes are major and violent. The major Earthquakes are almost always devastating in nature. Most noteworthy, the occurrence of an Earthquake is quite unpredictable. This is what makes them so dangerous.

Types of Earthquake

Tectonic Earthquake: The Earth’s crust comprises of the slab of rocks of uneven shapes. These slab of rocks are tectonic plates. Furthermore, there is energy stored here. This energy causes tectonic plates to push away from each other or towards each other. As time passes, the energy and movement build up pressure between two plates.

Therefore, this enormous pressure causes the fault line to form. Also, the center point of this disturbance is the focus of the Earthquake. Consequently, waves of energy travel from focus to the surface. This results in shaking of the surface.

Volcanic Earthquake: This Earthquake is related to volcanic activity. Above all, the magnitude of such Earthquakes is weak. These Earthquakes are of two types. The first type is Volcano-tectonic earthquake. Here tremors occur due to injection or withdrawal of Magma. In contrast, the second type is Long-period earthquake. Here Earthquake occurs due to the pressure changes among the Earth’s layers.

Collapse Earthquake: These Earthquakes occur in the caverns and mines. Furthermore, these Earthquakes are of weak magnitude. Undergrounds blasts are probably the cause of collapsing of mines. Above all, this collapsing of mines causes seismic waves. Consequently, these seismic waves cause an Earthquake.

Explosive Earthquake: These Earthquakes almost always occur due to the testing of nuclear weapons. When a nuclear weapon detonates, a big blast occurs. This results in the release of a huge amount of energy. This probably results in Earthquakes.

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Effects of Earthquakes

First of all, the shaking of the ground is the most notable effect of the Earthquake. Furthermore, ground rupture also occurs along with shaking. This results in severe damage to infrastructure facilities. The severity of the Earthquake depends upon the magnitude and distance from the epicenter. Also, the local geographical conditions play a role in determining the severity. Ground rupture refers to the visible breaking of the Earth’s surface.

Another significant effect of Earthquake is landslides. Landslides occur due to slope instability. This slope instability happens because of Earthquake.

Earthquakes can cause soil liquefaction. This happens when water-saturated granular material loses its strength. Therefore, it transforms from solid to a liquid. Consequently, rigid structures sink into the liquefied deposits.

Earthquakes can result in fires. This happens because Earthquake damages the electric power and gas lines. Above all, it becomes extremely difficult to stop a fire once it begins.

Earthquakes can also create the infamous Tsunamis. Tsunamis are long-wavelength sea waves. These sea waves are caused by the sudden or abrupt movement of large volumes of water. This is because of an Earthquake in the ocean. Above all, Tsunamis can travel at a speed of 600-800 kilometers per hour. These tsunamis can cause massive destruction when they hit the sea coast.

In conclusion, an Earthquake is a great and terrifying phenomenon of Earth. It shows the frailty of humans against nature. It is a tremendous occurrence that certainly shocks everyone. Above all, Earthquake lasts only for a few seconds but can cause unimaginable damage.

FAQs on Earthquake

Q1 Why does an explosive Earthquake occurs?

A1 An explosive Earthquake occurs due to the testing of nuclear weapons.

Q2 Why do landslides occur because of Earthquake?

A2 Landslides happen due to slope instability. Most noteworthy, this slope instability is caused by an Earthquake.

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Earthquake Essay

Essay on Earthquake - An earthquake is a natural disaster that occurs when two tectonic plates collide. The force of the collision creates seismic waves that travel through the earth's crust, causing the ground to shake and buildings to collapse. Here are some sample essays on earthquakes.

100 Words Essay on Earthquake

Earthquakes can happen anywhere in the world, and although their occurrence is not predictable, there are some things you can do to make yourself more prepared in case one does strike. This includes having an earthquake kit ready to go, knowing how to drop, cover and hold on, and staying informed about any potential risks in your area. Make sure you have an emergency kit stocked with food, water, and other supplies, and know what to do when an earthquake hits. If you're not sure what to do, it's best to stay away from windows and other objects that could fall on you, and head to a safe place.

200 Words Essay on Earthquake

500 words essay on earthquake.

Earthquakes are a natural disaster that come with a lot of dangers. The shaking and movement of the earth can cause buildings to fall down, trapping people inside. The shaking caused by such a sudden change is usually very minor, but large earthquakes sometimes cause very large shaking of the land. The shaking waves spread from the spot at which rock begins breaking for the first time; this spot is called the center, or hypocenter, of an earthquake.

If you're inside when an earthquake starts, drop to the ground and cover your head. The earthquake's magnitude is related to the amount of earthquake energy released in a seismic event.

Different Types of Earthquakes

There are three types of earthquakes:

Shallow | A shallow earthquake is when the earthquake's focus is close to the surface of the Earth. These earthquakes are usually less powerful than the other two types, but can still cause a lot of damage.

Intermediate | Intermediate earthquakes have a focus that's located between the surface and the Earth's mantle, and are usually more powerful than shallow earthquakes.

Deep | Deep earthquakes have a focus that's located in the mantle, which is the layer of the Earth below the crust. They're the most powerful type of earthquake, and can even cause damage on the surface.

An earthquake can cause damage to buildings and bridges; interrupt gas, electrical, and telephone services; and occasionally trigger landslides, avalanches, flash flooding, wildfires, and massive, destructive waves of water over oceans (tsunamis).

The Dangers Associated With Earthquakes

The shaking of the ground can cause objects to fall off shelves and injure people. If you're outside when an earthquake starts, move away from tall buildings, streetlights and power lines.

An earthquake can also cause a tsunami, or a large wave, to form and crash onto the shore. Tsunamis can be very dangerous and can reach heights of over 100 feet.

How to Prepare for an Earthquake

When an earthquake is imminent, your first step should be to find a safe spot. The most ideal spots are under sturdy furniture or inside door frames. It is best to stay away from windows and anything that can fall over.

Once you've found the safest place, it's time to prepare for the shaking. Grab some blankets, pillows and helmets if possible – all of which can provide extra cushioning against falling objects.

Additionally, you should always keep an eye out for debris that could cause injuries, such as broken glass and sharp objects.

Finally, stay calm until the shaking stops, and monitor local news reports for additional information on how best to handle the situation.

What to do During an Earthquake

The moment an earthquake hits, it is important to stay as calm and collected as possible. Safety is the first priority so you must stay away from windows and furniture that can fall on you, and protect your head with your arms if needed.

If an earthquake occurs while you are indoors, stay away from anything that could fall or break such as windows, mirrors, or furniture. Do not run outdoors as shaking can cause glass and other materials to fall from the building structure. Instead, seek shelter under sturdy tables or desks. If there is no furniture available, move to a corner of the room and crouch down protectively with your arms over your head and neck.

It's also important to take note of any gas lines that could be affected during an earthquake and shut them off if necessary in order to prevent fires from breaking out due to exposed pipes.

After the Earthquake: Recovery and Assistance

When the shaking stops, there will be a period of recovery.

Don't enter any building if it has visible damage due to the earthquake - it's better to be safe than sorry.

You should contact local aid organisations like the Red Cross for additional help with sheltering, water, food and other essentials.

Stay in touch with local officials about any services provided for those affected by the earthquake.

Make sure you also have a plan for what to do if you're stuck in an earthquake, and know how to get in touch with loved ones in case of an emergency.

By being prepared and knowing what to do, you can help ensure that you and your loved ones are safe in the event of an earthquake.

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Earthquake Essay

Download the Earthquake Essay Available on Vedantu’s Website.

Earthquakes are some of the most devastating natural disasters. Millions of dollars worth of property are damaged and a hundred die every time a big magnitude of eater quake strikes. It is in this regard that everyone must read and know about earthquakes and be prepared to mitigate the damage. Furthermore, the topic of earthquakes is quite often asked in exams. Preparing for this topic will enable them to have an edge and score more marks in the English paper.

To serve the above-mentioned purpose, Vedantu has come up with the Earthquake essay. This essay is prepared by the experts who know what exactly is required to know and weeding out points that are not important. The essay is very precise and would surely allow students to successfully claim marks in the essay question and even stay prepared when an earthquake actually strikes.

What is an Earthquake?

When the earth’s surface shakes, the phenomenon is referred to as an earthquake. Precisely, the sudden trembling of the earth’s surface is the cause of an earthquake. Earthquakes are regarded as one of the deadliest natural disasters. Huge damage and loss of property are caused by earthquakes. There are various types of earthquakes. Some of them are severe in nature. The most dangerous thing about an earthquake is that it is quite unpredictable. It can cause several damages without any previous indication. The intensity of an earthquake is measured by the Richter’s scale. Generally, earthquakes occur due to the movement of tectonic plates under the earth’s surface.

Types of Earthquake

There are four kinds of earthquakes namely

Tectonic Earthquake,

Volcanic Earthquake,

Collapse Earthquake and

Explosive Earthquake.

Tectonic Earthquake

It is caused due to the movement of the slab of rocks of uneven shapes that lie underneath the earth’s crust. Apart from that, energy is stored in the earth’s crust. Tectonic plates are pushed away from each other or towards each other due to the energy. A pressure is formed because of the energy and movement as time passes. A fault line is formed due to severe pressure. The center point of this dispersion is the epicenter of the earthquake. Subsequently, traveling of the waves of energy from focus to the surface causes the tremor.

Volcanic Earthquake

The earthquake caused by volcanic activity is called a volcanic earthquake. These kinds of earthquakes are of weaker magnitudes. Volcanic earthquakes are categorized into two types. In the first type, which is called volcano-tectonic, shaking happens due to input or withdrawal of Magma. In the second type, which is termed as Long-period earthquake, tremors occur due to changing of pressure among the earth’s layers.

Collapse Earthquake

Collapse Earthquake is the third type of earthquake that occurs in the caverns and mines. This is another example of a weak magnitude earthquake. Mines collapsed due to underground blasts. Consequently, seismic waves are formed due to this collapsing. Earthquakes occur because of these seismic waves.

Explosive Earthquake

The fourth type of earthquake is called an explosive earthquake. This is caused due to the testing of nuclear weapons.

Effects of Earthquake

The effects of earthquakes are very severe and deadly.

It can cause irreparable damage to property and loss of human lives. The lethality of an earthquake depends on its distance from the epicentre.

Damage to establishments is the direct impact of an earthquake. In the hilly areas, several landslides are caused due to earthquakes.

Another major impact of an earthquake is soil liquefaction. Losing the strength of water-saturated granular material is the cause behind this. The rigidity of soil is totally lost due to this.

Since the earthquake affects the electric power and gas lines, it can cause a fire to break out.

Deadly Tsunamis are caused due to earthquakes. Gigantic sea waves are caused by the sudden or abnormal movement of huge volumes of water. This is called an earthquake in the ocean. When tsunamis hit the sea coasts, they cause a massive loss of lives and properties.

Earthquake is termed as one of the most huge and lethal natural disasters in the world. It proves the fact that human beings are just nothing in front of nature. The sudden occurrence of earthquakes shocks everyone. Scientists are working rigorously to prevent the damage of earthquakes, but nothing fruitful has been achieved yet.

Examples of Devastating Earthquake

The city of Kobe in Japan witnessed a devastating earthquake on January 17, 1995, killing more than 6,000 and making more than 45,000 people homeless. The magnitude of the quake was 6.9 at the moment which caused damage of around 100 million dollars. The governor of Kobe spent years on reconstruction and made efforts to bring back fifty thousand people who had left home. Japan geologically is a highly active country. It lies upon four major tectonic plates namely, Eurasian, Philippine, Pacific, and North American which frequently meet and interact.

The second incident is in Nepal where an earthquake struck on April 25, 2015. About 9000 people were killed and almost 600,000 structures were destroyed. The magnitude of the quake was 7.9 and the repels were felt by neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, China and India. The disaster caused severe damage of millions of dollars. All the countries across the world including India garnered to help Nepal by sending monetary aid, medical supplies, transport helicopters and others.

FAQs on Earthquake Essay

1. How to download the Earthquake Essay?

The Earthquake essay is available on Vedantu's website in PDF format. The PDF could be downloaded on any device, be it android, apple or windows. One just has to log on to www.vedantu.com and download the document. The document is totally free of cost and a student does not need to pay any prior registration fee.

2. How to protect oneself during an earthquake?

Earthquakes could be very disastrous and can cause a lot of collateral damage. During an earthquake you can look for the corners to hide. Another safe place to hide is under the table or under the bed. If one is sitting in a multistory building, avoid taking a lift and only use the stairs. In this kind of situation, one should never panic and stay calm. Let the earthquake pass until then keep hiding in the safe spot. Once over, come out to evaluate the situation and take appropriate actions.

3. How to mitigate the effects of an earthquake?

Prevention is better than cure. It is always a better idea to take necessary actions before an earthquake has struck. In the first place, send a copy of all your documents to someone reliable. In case of an earthquake that destroys your important documents, there would always remain a facility to retrieve them. Research and know if your city is in a seismic zone. One should also take note of earthquakes during the construction of a house and lay emphasis on a seismic-proof house.

4. How can one teach people about the effects of an earthquake?

There are many ways one can raise awareness about the effects of earthquakes. There is Youtube and Instagram which could be used to disseminate all the knowledge about the earthquake and its impact on humans. You can also go to schools and colleges to conduct a seminar whereby the students could be told about the mitigation and steps to take when an earthquake strikes. However before that, one must thoroughly research the topic. For this, visit www.vedntu.com and download the earthquake essay for free.

5. Who has written the Earthquake essay?

The earthquake essay provided by Vedantu is prepared by expert teachers who invest a good amount of time and effort to come up with an essay that is highly useful for the students in their personal lives as well as for their academic performance. The students can use this essay to maximize their abilities to cope with the questions on earthquakes and the earthquake itself. The essay is totally reliable and one mustn’t doubt its credibility at all.

Earth Science

Protection Against Earthquake

Earthquakes are highly destructive natural disasters, leading to significant loss of life and extensive damage to property on a global scale each year. In response, the disaster management committee has implemented various safety measures to minimize the devastating effects of these catastrophic events. Developing effective strategies and promoting disaster management awareness is paramount in mitigating the impact of earthquakes and ensuring our safety. This article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of earthquakes, including their causes and effects, along with detailed instructions on how to respond during and after an earthquake.

What is an Earthquake?

An earthquake refers to the shaking of the earth’s surface caused by a sudden release of energy within the earth’s crust. This release of energy generates seismic waves, commonly known as S waves. The intensity and characteristics of an earthquake are determined by the seismic activities occurring in a specific region.

During an earthquake, the stored energy accumulated within the earth’s crust is suddenly released, leading to the rapid movement and displacement of rock masses along fault lines. This movement produces vibrations that propagate through the earth in the form of seismic waves. The two primary types of seismic waves are S (secondary) and P (primary) waves .

S waves, also called shear waves, travel through the earth by causing particles to move perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation. These waves are responsible for the side-to-side shaking motion experienced during an earthquake. On the other hand, P waves, or compression waves, cause particles to move in the same direction as the wave propagation. P waves are the first detected during an earthquake and are responsible for the initial abrupt jolts.

Understanding the nature of earthquakes and the behaviour of seismic waves is crucial for assessing the potential risks associated with these natural disasters. It enables scientists and experts to study seismic patterns, develop early warning systems, establish building codes for earthquake-resistant structures and educate communities on preparedness and response measures.

What Causes an Earthquake?

Earthquakes occur due to sudden tectonic movements within the Earth’s crust. The Earth’s crust is divided into large sections called tectonic plates , which float on the semi-fluid layer known as the asthenosphere. These plates are constantly in motion, albeit very slowly.

When two tectonic plates interact, various types of boundaries can form, such as convergent and divergent and transform boundaries. The most powerful and destructive earthquakes typically occur at convergent boundaries, where two plates collide or slide past each other.

At a convergent boundary, one tectonic plate may be forced beneath another in a process called subduction. As the plates collide or slide past each other, immense pressure and friction build-up. Eventually, the stress becomes too great, causing the rocks along the plate boundaries to break and slip. This sudden release of stored energy generates seismic waves, resulting in an earthquake.

In addition to tectonic movements, other geological activities can also trigger earthquakes. Volcanic activity, for instance, can cause earthquakes when magma rises through the Earth’s crust, creating pressure and fracturing the rocks around the volcano. The disturbances caused by these movements and ruptures within the Earth’s crust generate vibrations that propagate in all directions, shaking the ground. These vibrations are the seismic waves that travel through the Earth and are detected by seismographs.

It’s important to note that the build-up of stress and the subsequent release of energy in the form of shock waves are the fundamental mechanisms behind earthquakes. The magnitude or strength of an earthquake is determined by the amount of energy released during this process.

Delve Deeper into the Causes of Earthquakes

We present to you an insightful video that explores the fascinating mechanisms behind seismic activity. By watching this video, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how earthquakes are caused and the factors that contribute to their occurrence.

What to do During an Earthquake?

When it comes to earthquakes, being prepared can make all the difference. Here are some essential steps to take before the disaster strikes:

Before the Earthquake

Make Connections Flexible

Ensure that gas lines and appliances are properly installed with flexible connections. This helps prevent gas leaks and reduces the risk of fire hazards during an earthquake.

Create an Earthquake Readiness Plan

Develop a well-thought-out plan that includes identifying a shelter area in your home. Stock up on essential supplies such as canned food, a well-stocked first aid kit, ample water, dust masks, goggles, firefighting equipment, a flashlight and a working battery-operated radio. These provisions will prove invaluable in the event of an earthquake.

Consult Architects and Structural Engineers

Building sturdy structures is vital for minimizing earthquake damage and ensuring the safety of occupants. If you reside in an earthquake-prone area, it’s crucial to consult with architects and structural engineers before constructing buildings. They can guide you in implementing the necessary measures and adhering to regulations set by the disaster management committee.

Spread Awareness

Share the knowledge and importance of earthquake preparedness with your friends and family. By educating those around you, you contribute to creating a safer community.

During the Earthquake

When an earthquake strikes, quick thinking and appropriate actions can save lives. Here are some important guidelines to follow:

Stay Indoors

Remain indoors until the shaking stops and it is officially announced that it is safe to exit. Taking cover beneath a sturdy table or bed can provide vital protection against falling objects.

Avoid Hazardous Areas

Steer clear of bookcases, heavy furniture and appliances that may topple over during the earthquake. Your safety should always be the top priority.

Find a Safe Spot

Seek shelter under a sturdy piece of furniture, such as a table or bed. Hold on to a post or any other fixture to maintain stability and minimize the risk of injury.

If Outdoors, Move to an Open Area

If you are outside when the earthquake occurs, find a clear spot away from buildings, trees and power lines. These objects pose a significant danger during seismic activity.

After the Earthquake

Once the earthquake subsides, it’s important to proceed with caution and take the following measures:

Administer First Aid

Attend to individuals with minor injuries using first aid kits. For those with more severe injuries, it’s essential to wait for professional medical help and avoid moving them until it is safe.

CPR and Rescue Breathing

If someone is not breathing, administer rescue breathing. If the person has no pulse, perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) until medical assistance arrives.

Be Mindful of Hazards

Attend any tumbling shelves or falling items and be cautious around damaged walls made of bricks or other unstable materials. Your safety should be a priority.

Check Gas and Power Connections

Inspect gas valves for leaks and turn off the main power switch if damage is possible. Unplug broken appliances until they can be properly repaired.

Stay Clear of Power Lines

Keep a safe distance from downed power lines and any objects or appliances in contact with them. Electricity poses a significant risk, so exercise caution.

By following these guidelines, you can ensure your safety and the well-being of those around you during and after an earthquake. Remember, preparedness and knowledge are key to effectively managing these natural disasters. Stay informed and stay safe!

Enhancing Preparedness with Disaster Management

In times of uncertainty, being equipped with the knowledge and strategies to navigate through natural disasters is crucial. In this section, we present an insightful video that sheds light on the broader concept of disaster management and its significance during both predicted and unpredictable calamities.

What are the Effects of an Earthquake?

Earthquakes can have a wide range of effects, varying in severity depending on factors such as the quake’s magnitude, the depth of its epicentre and the local geology. Here are some of the primary effects caused by earthquakes:

Ground Shaking: When an earthquake occurs, the release of energy creates seismic waves that cause the ground to shake. The intensity of the shaking can vary depending on factors such as the magnitude of the earthquake, the distance from the epicentre and the local geology. Areas closer to the epicentre usually experience more intense shaking, which can significantly damage structures and infrastructure.
Damage to Man-Made Structures: One of the most noticeable effects of an earthquake is the damage it can cause to buildings, bridges, roads and other man-made structures. The shaking can lead to structural failure, collapse and extensive damage, especially if the buildings are not designed or constructed to withstand seismic activity. The severity of the damage depends on factors such as the quality of construction, adherence to building codes and proximity to the epicentre.
Fires and Hazardous Chemical Spills: Earthquakes can trigger secondary hazards, such as fires and hazardous material spills. The violent shaking can rupture gas pipelines, damage electrical systems and disrupt infrastructure, leading to the ignition of fires. Additionally, earthquakes can cause the release of hazardous chemicals stored in industrial facilities, posing risks to human health and the environment. These secondary effects can further exacerbate the impact of an earthquake and complicate rescue and recovery efforts.
Landslides and Avalanches: In areas with steep slopes or unstable terrain, earthquakes can trigger landslides and avalanches. The shaking can destabilize slopes, causing rocks, soil and debris to slide downhill. Landslides can damage structures, block roads and even bury entire communities, leading to additional casualties and hindering rescue and relief operations access.
Tsunamis: Underwater earthquakes can generate tsunamis, particularly those occurring along tectonic plate boundaries. These massive ocean waves can travel long distances, reaching coastal areas and causing devastating flooding. Tsunamis pose a significant threat to coastal communities and can result in widespread destruction and loss of life.

Understanding the potential effects of earthquakes is crucial for implementing appropriate mitigation measures and developing effective disaster response plans. It is important to note that these are just some of the effects that earthquakes can have. The severity and extent of these effects depend on various factors, including the earthquake’s characteristics, the impacted area’s location and the affected communities’ preparedness and resilience.

Understanding Seismograph and the Richter scale

A seismograph and the Richter scale are essential tools used in seismology to understand and characterise earthquakes. While they are related to each other, they serve different purposes. Here’s an elaboration on the difference between a seismograph and the richter scale.

Seismograph

A seismograph is a device used to measure and record the vibrations or ground motions caused by earthquakes.
It consists of a ground motion sensor, typically a mass attached to a fixed base and a recording system that captures the movements detected by the sensor.
Seismographs are essential in monitoring seismic activity, as they provide valuable data about the intensity, duration and frequency of ground shaking.
By analyzing the recorded seismograms, scientists can determine various characteristics of an earthquake, such as its magnitude, location and focal depth.
Seismographs also detect other seismic events, such as volcanic eruptions and underground explosions.

Richter scale

The Richter scale, developed by Charles F. Richter in the 1930s, is a numerical scale used to quantify the magnitude or strength of an earthquake.
It measures the energy released during an earthquake by analyzing the amplitude of seismic waves recorded on seismographs.
The Richter scale is logarithmic, meaning that each whole number increase on the scale corresponds to a tenfold increase in the amplitude of the seismic waves and approximately 31.6 times more energy released. For example, a magnitude six earthquake releases about 31.6 times more energy than a magnitude five earthquake.
The Richter scale provides a standardized measurement for consistent comparison of worldwide earthquake magnitudes.

Difference Between Seismograph and Richter scale

In summary, a seismograph is a device used to measure and record the ground motions caused by earthquakes. The Seismograph provides the data necessary to calculate the magnitude of an earthquake, which is then represented on the Richter scale. At the same time, the Richter scale is a numerical scale used to quantify the energy released during an earthquake. Together, these tools help seismologists and scientists better understand and characterise seismic events, enabling them to assess the impact and potential hazards associated with earthquakes.

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs

What is an earthquake.

An earthquake is shaking the Earth’s surface caused by a sudden release of energy within the Earth’s crust. It generates seismic waves, commonly known as S waves, and its intensity and characteristics are determined by the seismic activities occurring in a specific region.

What causes an earthquake?

Earthquakes occur due to sudden tectonic movements within the Earth’s crust. These movements result from interactions between tectonic plates, large sections of the Earth’s crust that float on the semi-fluid layer known as the asthenosphere. When stress along plate boundaries becomes too great, rocks along the boundaries break and slip, releasing stored energy and generating seismic waves.

What should I do during an earthquake?

It is important to take appropriate actions during an earthquake to ensure safety. Some key steps to follow include staying indoors, taking cover under a sturdy piece of furniture, avoiding hazardous areas, and, if outdoors, moving to an open area away from buildings, trees and power lines.

What should I do before an earthquake?

What are the effects of an earthquake.

Earthquakes can have various effects, including ground shaking, damage to man-made structures, fires and hazardous chemical spills, landslides and avalanches and the generation of tsunamis in coastal areas. The severity of these effects depends on factors such as the earthquake’s magnitude, depth and local geology.

What is the difference between a seismograph and the Richter scale?

A seismograph is a device used to measure and record the vibrations or ground motions caused by earthquakes. It provides the data necessary to calculate the magnitude of an earthquake. On the other hand, the Richter scale is a numerical scale used to quantify the energy released during an earthquake. It provides a standardized measurement for comparing earthquake magnitudes worldwide.

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Earthquakes and Their Devastating Consequences Essay

Nature and its actions are often unpredictable and frightening. Almost every day, TV channels and news websites report on natural disasters in different parts of the world. Many of these events are caused by global warming and other climatic and environmental changes resulting from human activities. Although many natural disasters are natural and predictable, they cannot be managed or their consequences predetermined. One of these incidents is earthquakes, which occur everywhere with less or more force and threaten the lives and health of people.

An earthquake is one of the most ancient and frequent catastrophic events. Despite this, people have yet to determine where, when, and what strength the next earthquake will occur. It occurs when a sudden release of energy accumulates for a long time due to the movement of tectonic plates (Bolt). Imagine going to a coffee shop to have some caffeine boost, as you do every morning. You have already gotten used to the fact that many people are there at this time and have learned to maneuver, avoiding collisions. However, you were late this morning and could not join this usual flow of people. As a result, you run into another customer, and the coffee stain is spilling over your shirt and coffee shop floor. People are trying to get away from the ‘epicenter’ of events, and cafe workers are trying to eliminate the results of the morning ‘catastrophe’ as quickly as possible. Earthquakes occur on a much larger scale, and instead of a coffee stain, a disruption is formed in the earth’s surface, spreading for tens of miles.

The break in the ground surface is the most common cause of horrific consequences, and people often cannot get out of the epicenter of the incident. Seismologists study and predict possible earthquakes, but it is impossible to predict any natural phenomenon in detail. Tracking seismic waves and their properties, especially in areas with a greater likelihood of an earthquake, certainly helps to warn the population and take preventive measures (Bolt). Every year, hundreds of thousands of earthquakes occur worldwide, most of which are minor and not felt by people. However, about 50,000 earthquakes can be detected without the aid of special instruments, and more than 100 of them are strong enough to cause significant harm to people (Bolt para. 2). Moreover, today, earthquakes occur even in those regions that are less prone to them, and the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria confirm this.

The circumstances and the number of victims of this incident are simply shocking. Moreover, neither the people nor the authorities of Turkey and Syria were prepared for such a catastrophe, which led to even more victims and deaths. Imagine another situation, in the evening, you go to bed, preparing for a hard work week because tomorrow is Monday. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, it seems that the house is starting to stagger, and after a few minutes, you find yourself under the rubble of concrete slabs. The worst thing is that this is not a nightmare from which you can wake up but a new reality. That is exactly what happened on the night of February 6 in Turkey.

I was lucky, and I never found myself in the epicenter of an earthquake, and more precisely, I did not find myself in such a strong earthquake that I could feel. However, the news and photos from the scene in Turkey startled me. According to official information from the authorities, “approximately 7,000 buildings in the area have been damaged or destroyed” (Pamuk para. 24). This is approximately 25,000 victims who unknowingly slept in their beds. Moreover, this event was not limited to one region but moved about 60 miles and struck Turkey with another 7.5-magnitude earthquake (Pamuk para. 28). If at night the whole scale of the catastrophe was still not so visible, then in daylight, these events caused shock and chaos.

Any emergency is certainly accompanied by chaos, and this case is no exception. People who managed to escape the earthquake’s epicenter in time “wandered the streets in search of help or food” (Pamuk para. 28). Others looked for their relatives and friends who could remain under the rubble. The consequences of earthquakes are always unpredictable but are always accompanied by destruction and casualties among people. In addition, this natural event destroys infrastructure and communications, leaving the region isolated indefinitely. In southeastern Turkey, the earthquake destroyed water and heating systems, as well as serious problems with mobile communications (Pamuk). The inability to contact their relatives and friends who lived in the destroyed houses leads to even more panic and chaos.

Moreover, some consequences of earthquakes are not so obvious. For example, one of the most common consequences of earthquakes is tsunamis (Bolt para. 23). The wave covering the coastal regions is formed due to underwater earthquakes, which humans may not feel. The most devastating was the tsunami of December 26, 2004, in Indonesia, caused by the movement of tectonic plates on the ocean floor (Bolt para. 24). As a result, the infrastructure of cities was destroyed, but the most terrible consequence was the number of victims among people.

If people in Turkey had known about the impending earthquake, they would probably have gone to safer regions of the country, or at least would have left the city and would not have ended up under the concrete rubble of houses. If citizens and tourists in Indonesia had been warned of the magnitude of the coming tsunami, they might have moved away from the coast. It wouldn’t help protect the infrastructure or keep their homes intact, but it could save thousands of lives.

However, the world around us is unpredictable and impossible to control. Yet this does not mean we cannot reduce the negative effects of natural events. Firstly, when building houses, their location is taken into account. That applies not only to proximity to the city center or the presence of developed infrastructure but also to the seismic safety of the location (Bolt). Secondly, people should know the basic algorithms of behavior during natural events. Moreover, as Turkey’s practice shows, this is necessary not only in regions where earthquakes occur frequently but in all countries. Researchers, of course, are doing a lot to reduce the scale of catastrophes from natural events, but any precautions will be reasonable.

In conclusion, the world is amazing and interesting, but also dangerous and uncontrollable. Storms, floods, earthquakes, and other natural events occur daily and have devastating consequences. The damage they bring to people is impossible to predict, but their negative consequences can be reduced. Basic knowledge and precautions can help save thousands of lives. Even if nature cannot be controlled, it can and should be studied to improve our security.

Works Cited

Bolt, Bruce A. “ Earthquake .” Britannica, Web.

Pamuk, Orhan. “A Girl Trapped Under Fallen Concrete. A Man Unsure of What to Do.” The New York Times, Web.

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Tsunami Geological Origin
Effect of the 2004 Tsunami on Indonesia
Tsunami Warning Management System
Tsunami: Definition and Causes
Natural Hazard: Tsunami Caused by Earthquakes
The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake
Natural Disasters: Tsunami, Hurricanes and Earthquake
Causes and Effect of the Tsunami in Indonesia
Floods in Los Angeles and Disaster Response
Global Disasters Management Plan
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Essay on Earthquake for Student and Children

Earthquakes are natural phenomena that have fascinated and bewildered humans for centuries. These powerful events, caused by the movement of Earth’s tectonic plates, shape our planet’s dynamic landscape. In this essay, we will explore the science behind earthquakes, their causes, effects, and the measures taken to mitigate their impact, emphasizing their vital role in Earth’s geology.

The Earth’s Dynamic Crust

Earth’s outer layer, called the Earth’s crust, is divided into several large and small pieces known as tectonic plates. These plates are not stationary; they constantly move, albeit very slowly. When they interact, they can create stress and pressure, leading to earthquakes.

The Science of Seismic Activity

Earthquakes occur when there is a sudden release of energy along fault lines or plate boundaries. This energy travels as seismic waves, causing the ground to shake. Scientists use instruments called seismometers to measure and record these waves, helping us understand earthquake patterns.

Causes of Earthquakes

The primary cause of earthquakes is the movement of tectonic plates. There are three main types of plate interactions: convergent (plates move toward each other), divergent (plates move apart), and transform (plates slide past each other). Each type can result in seismic activity.

Magnitude and Intensity

Scientists measure the size of an earthquake using the Richter scale or the moment magnitude scale (Mw). The Richter scale quantifies the earthquake’s magnitude, while the moment magnitude scale provides a more accurate assessment of its energy release. The intensity of an earthquake’s impact is assessed using the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (MMI).

Effects of Earthquakes

Earthquakes can have devastating effects. They can cause buildings and bridges to collapse, trigger landslides, and even generate tsunamis if they occur under the ocean. The impact on human lives, infrastructure, and the environment can be profound.

Mitigating the Impact

Efforts to mitigate earthquake impact include constructing earthquake-resistant buildings and infrastructure, developing early warning systems, and conducting public education and preparedness campaigns. These measures save lives and reduce damage.

Historical Earthquakes

Throughout history, earthquakes have left their mark on civilizations. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and the 2011 Japan earthquake are examples of devastating events that have shaped communities and triggered significant changes.

Earthquakes and Plate Tectonics

Earthquakes are closely connected to the theory of plate tectonics, a fundamental concept in geology. Plate tectonics explains the movement of Earth’s crustal plates, leading to continental drift, mountain formation, and volcanic activity.

Conclusion of Essay on Earthquake

In conclusion, earthquakes are awe-inspiring natural events that result from the movement of Earth’s tectonic plates. They are a testament to the dynamic nature of our planet. While they can be destructive, earthquakes also play a crucial role in shaping Earth’s surface. Understanding the science behind earthquakes, their causes, and their effects is vital for our safety and the protection of our communities. By implementing measures to mitigate their impact and studying their occurrence, we can continue to learn from these powerful phenomena and strive for a safer future. Earthquakes are a reminder of the forces that shape our world and the importance of being prepared for nature’s unpredictability.

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Essay on Earthquake for Students in English | 500+ Words Essay

January 2, 2021 by Sandeep

Essay on Earthquake: It is a major natural disorder that causes trembling of the Earth’s surface. Heavy loss to both lives and property are usually recorded when an earthquake occurs. When the Earth’s tectonic plates glide over one another, it creates seismic waves. If these waves are of a higher magnitude, then destructive earthquakes occur. Earthquakes have different names depending on their location like tsunamis, landslides, avalanches and large displacement. Seismographs measure the magnitude of earthquakes.

Essay on Earthquake 500 Words in English

Below we have provided Earthquake Essay in English, suitable for class 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.

Earthquake is the shaking of the earth, which releases an immense amount of energy that creates seismic waves. These waves can be ranged from weak to strong. Some seismic waves are too weak to sense and too strong to destroy cities and create violence. The seismic activity refers to the rate and frequency of earthquakes experienced over the years.

Manifestations of the earthquakes are the shaking and the displacement of the ground. A tsunami is caused when the epicenter of a massive earthquake is displaced by strong waves. Because of the earthquake, the phenomenon of landslides and volcanic activity takes place. This can also be defined as the seismic wave that is caused by naturally or by humans. The occurrence is mostly due to the cause of geographical faults. The other reasons include landslides, volcanic activities, nuclear tests, etc.

Types of Earthquake

Tectonic Earthquakes – Tectonic plates are the loose, cracked fragments present in the crust of the earth. These plates move slowly and gradually under the surface. The movement of the plates is in different forms. They can move towards each other, away from each other, in the sliding directions, or in a colliding way. A huge tremor occurs when these plates slide over one another. They are the reason for massive mass destruction.
Volcanic Earthquakes – Volcanic Earthquakes mostly occur after or before the phenomenon of the eruption. The magma eruption from the earth leaves a space behind. To fill the space, the rocks displaces towards the space that results in the severe earthquakes. The cases of massive explosions occur when magma blocks the vent during the volcanic activity.
Explosion Earthquakes – The main reason for these kinds of explosions is nuclear testing. Men mostly trigger these earthquakes. In the year 1930, numerous small towns and villages were devasted because of the testing of nuclear weapons by the United States.
Collapse Earthquakes – They occur near underground mines and are generally smaller. In addition, these are called as mines burst. Pressures that are generated within the rocks instigate these earthquakes. These earthquakes mostly prevailed in the small towns where the underground mines are located.

Effects of Earthquake

Ground Shaking is considered the most familiar experience one finds during the earthquakes. It is the series of seismic waves that hit the ground from a small to large scales. The consequences noted are the damages to the buildings, troubles in standing stable, and destruction of natural habitats in the cases of vigorous shaking.
When the wave’s movement is actually along with the fault, this leads to the total distortion of the ground. The cases for actively ground ruptures are quite rare. The surface of the earth is left with deep cracks.
When there occurs a sustainable shaking and direct rupturing of less stable slopes, it gives rise to the phenomenon of landslides.
Tsunamis, popularly and often called tidal waves, are termed as the most hazardous event. The main cause of this is the movement of the seafloor vertically, causing a series of water waves. The speed of the Tsunami has been measured for more than 700 km/hr. This speed resembles the speed of the jet planes, and it can reach up to 27 meters.

Steps to Control Earthquake

Personal Measures

When an earthquake occurs under table and door-frames are quite the right place to seek shelter.
Try not to be in some confined areas. Run in the open area, if possible
Take preventive measures to avoid risks from liquefaction, landslides, etc.
Keep a check on the gas lines and pipes, after earthquakes.
Keep a close connection with the authorities, and try to follow the instructions.

Technical/Biological Measures

Limited measures to be taken to prevent the damage from secondary effects. As no measures can be taken to prevent earthquakes.
The design of the buildings should be earthquake resistant.

Geography Notes

Essay on earthquakes: top 5 essays on earthquakes | geography.

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Here is a compilation of essays on ‘Earthquakes’ for class 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Find paragraphs, long and short essays on ‘Earthquakes’ especially written for school and college students.

Essay on Earthquakes

Essay Contents:

Essay on the World Distribution of Earthquakes

Essay # 1. Introduction to Earthquake:

An earthquake is a major demonstration of the power of the tectonic forces caused by endogenetic thermal conditions of the interior of the earth. ‘An earthquake is a motion of the ground surface, ranging from a faint tremor to a wild motion capable of shaking buildings apart and causing gaping fissures to open in the ground.

The earthquake is a form of energy of wave motion transmitted through the surface layer of the earth in widening circles from a point of sudden energy release, the focus’. ‘An earthquake is a vibration or oscillation of the surface of the earth caused by a transient disturbance of the elastic or gravitational equilibrium of the rocks at or beneath the earth the surface.’

The magnitude or intensity of energy released by an earthquake is measured by the Richter Scale devised by Charles F. Richter in 1935. The number indicating magnitude or intensity (M) on Richter scale ranges between 0 and 9 but in fact the scale has no upper limit of number because it is a logarithmic scale.

It is estimated that the total annual energy released by all earthquakes is about 10 25 ergs, most of this is from a small number of earthquakes of magnitude over 7. The 1934 Bihar earthquake measuring 8.4 and Good Friday Earthquake of March 27, 1964 in Alaska (USA) measuring 8.4 to 8.6 on Richter scale are among the greatest earthquakes of the world ever recorded.

The place of the origin of an earthquake is called focus which is always hidden inside the earth but its depth varies from place to place. The deepest earthquake may have its focus at a depth of even 700 km below the ground surface but some of the major Himalayan earthquakes, such as the Bihar-Nepal earthquake of August 21, 1988, have their focus around 20- 30 km deep.

The place on the ground surface, which is perpendicular to the buried ‘focus’ or ‘hypocentre’, recording the seismic waves for the first time is called epicentre. The waves generated by an earthquake are called ‘seismic waves’ which are recorded by an instrument called seismograph or seismometer at the epicentre. The science, that deals with the seismic waves, is called seismology.

Essay # 2. Causes of Earthquakes :

Earthquakes are caused mainly due to disequilibrium in any part of the crust of the earth. A number of causes have been assigned to cause disequilibrium or isostatic imbalance in the earth’s crust such as volcanic eruptions, faulting and folding, up-warping and down-warping, gaseous expansion and contraction inside the earth, hydrostatic pressure of man-made water bodies like reservoirs and lakes, and plate movements.

If we look at the world distribution of earthquakes (fig. 10.2) it appears that the earthquake belts are closely associated with the weaker zones and isostatically disturbed areas of the globe. It was generally believed that isostatically balanced and old and stable rigid masses were free from seismic events but the devastating earthquake of Koyna on 11 December, 1967, in Satara district of Maharashtra, Latur-Kilari earthquake of Sept. 30, 1993 of Maharashtra, dis proved this old connotation and made us believe that no part of the earth is immune from seismic events. A host of possible causes have been suggested to cause disequilibrium in the earth’s crust which trigger earth tremors of various sorts.

i. Vulcanicity:

Volcanic activity is considered to be one of the major causes of earthquakes. In fact, vulcanicity and seismic events are so intimately related to each other that they become cause and effect for each other. In other words, each volcanic eruption is followed by earthquakes and many of the severe earthquakes cause volcanic eruptions.

In fact, earth tremors are major precursor events of possible volcanic eruption in immediate future in any region. The explosive violent gases during the process of vulcanicity try to escape upward and hence they push the crustal surface from below with great force and thus is caused severe earth tremor of high magnitude.

Whenever these gases become successful in breaking the weak crustal surface they appear on the earth’s surface with violent explosion and great force causing devastating volcanic eruption which causes sudden disequilibrium in the crustal surface to invite severe earth tremors. It may be pointed out that the magnitude of such earthquakes depends upon the intensity of volcanic eruptions.

The violent eruption of Krakatoa volcano (between Java and Sumatra) caused such a severe earthquake the impact of which was experienced as far away as Cape Horn (some 12,800 km away). The devastating earthquake generated 30 to 40 m high tsunamis waves which killed 36,000 people in the coastal areas of Java and Sumatra.

ii. Faulting and Elastic Rebound Theory :

The horizontal and vertical movements caused by endogenetic forces result in the formation of faults and folds which in turn cause isostatic disequilibrium in the crustal rocks which ultimately causes earthquakes of varying magnitudes depending on the nature and magnitude of dislocation of rock blocks caused by faulting and folding. In fact, sudden dislocation of rock blocks caused by both tensile and compressive forces triggers immediate earth tremors due to sudden maladjustment of rock blocks.

The 1950-earthquake of Assam was believed to have been caused due to disequilibrium in crustal rocks introduced by crustal fracture. The 1934-earthquake of Bihar was also considered to have been triggered by faulting activity underneath. Underground active fault zone was suggested as one of the possible causes of Koyna earthquake (Maharashtra) of December 11, 1967.

The occurrence of severe devastating earthquake of San Francisco (USA) in 1906 led H.F. Reid, one of the official investigators of the San Fransisco earthquake disaster, to advance his famous and much appreciated elastic rebound theory to explain the mode and causes of earthquakes mainly caused by fractures and faults in the earth’s crust and upper mantle.

According to Reid the underground rocks are elastic like rubber and expand when stretched and pulled. The stretching and pulling of crustal rocks due to tensile forces is slow process. The rocks continue to be stretched so long as the tensile forces do not exceed the elasticity of the rocks but as the tensile forces exceed the rocks elasticity, they are broken and the broken rock blocks try immediately to occupy their previous positions so that they may adjust themselves. All these processes occur so rapidly that the equilibrium of the concerned crustal surface is suddenly disturbed and hence earth tremors are caused.

Reid’s elastic rebound theory very well explains the occurrences of seismic events in Californian valley which is very much frequented by faulting activity. The famous earthquake of 1872 of California was caused due to creation of a massive fault in the Oven Valley. Similarly, the Californian earthquake of April 18, 1906, was caused due to the formation of 640 km long San Andreas Fault. The 1923 earthquake of Sagami Bay of Japan was also believed to have been triggered by big fault.

N. Krishna Brahman and Janardhan G. Niyogi, the two scientists of the National Geophysical Research Institute, have opined that the seismic events near Bhatsa Dam and Koyna Dam are very much active due to active faulting beneath the Deccan Traps. They have claimed to have identified two active rift faults in Maharashtra beneath the Deccan Traps viz. Kurduvadi rift and Koyna rift.

According to them Koyna rift begins from Kaladgi in Karnataka and runs for a distance of 540 km through Koyna and terminates 40 km west of Nasik. The 390 km long Kurduvadi rift begins from 40 km south-west of Solapur and after running through Kurduvadi it merges with the Koyna rift to the north of Pune. According to them Bhatsa Dam is located at the junction of Tawi and Koyna faults.

They are of the opinion that gradual increase in the seismic events in Bhatsa Dam area since 1983 is because of active faulting beneath the basaltic crust. The 1950 Assam earthquake, 1934 Bihar earthquake and 2001 Bhuj earthquake (Gujarat) of India were caused mainly by faulting.

iii. Hydrostatic Pressure and Anthropogenic Causes :

Though the earthquakes are natural phenomena and are caused by the endogenetic forces coming from within the earth but certain human activities such as pumping of groundwater and oil, deep underground mining, blasting of rocks by dynamites for constructional purposes (e.g., for the construction of dams and reservoirs, roads etc.), nuclear explosion, storage of huge volume of water in big reservoirs etc. also cause earth tremors of serious consequences.

The introduction of additional artificial superincumbent load through the construction of large dams and impounding of enormous volume of water in big reservoirs behind the dams cause disequilibrium of already isostatically adjusted rocks below the reservoirs or further augment the already fragile structures due to faults and fractures underneath.

Many major seismic events have been correlated with dams and reservoirs all over the world such as earthquake of 1931 in Greece due to Marathon Dam constructed in 1929; initiation of earth tremors since 1936 around Hoover Dam (USA) due to creation of Mead Lake in 1935; Koyna earthquake of 1967 (in Satara district of Maharashtra) due to Koyna reservoir constructed in 1962; other examples of earthquakes caused by dams and reservoirs are of Monteynard and Grandvale in France, Mangla in Pakistan, Kariba in Zambia, Manic in Canada, Hendrick Verwoerd in South Africa, Nourek in earst-while USSR, Kurobe in Japan etc.

It may be pointed out that the intensity of earthquake has been positively correlated with the levels of water in the reservoirs. The earthquakes caused by hydrostatic pressure of reservoirs are called ‘reservoir-induced earthquakes’.

iv. Plate Tectonic Theory :

Recently, plate tectonic theory has been accepted as the most plausible explanation of the causes of earthquakes. As per theory of the plate tectonics the crust or the earth is composed of solid and moving plates having either continental crust or oceanic crust or even both continental-oceanic crust.

The earth’s crust consists of 6 major plates (Eurasian plate, American plate, African plate, Indian plate, Pacific plate and Antarctic plate) and 20 minor plates. These plates are constantly moving in relation to each Other due to thermal convective currents originating deep within the earth.

Thus, all the tectonic events take place along the boundaries of these moving plates. From the stand point of movement and tectonic events and creation and destruction of geomaterials the plate boundaries are divided into:

(i) Constructive plate boundaries,

(ii) Destructive plate boundaries, and

(iii) Conservative plate boundaries.

Constructive plate boundaries represent the trailing ends of divergent plates which move in opposite directions from the mid-oceanic ridges, destructive plate boundaries are those where two convergent plates collide against each other and the heavier plate boundary is sub-ducted below the relatively lighter plate boundary and conservative plate boundaries are those where two plates slip past each other without any collision.

Major tectonic events associated with these plate boundaries are ruptures and faults along the constructive plate boundaries, faulting and folding along the destructive plate boundaries and transform faults along the conservative plate boundaries. All sorts of disequilibrium are caused due to different types of plate motions and consequently earthquakes of varying magnitudes are caused.

Normally, moderate earthquakes are caused along the constructive plate boundaries because the rate of rupture of the crust and consequent movement of plates away from the mid-oceanic ridges is rather slow and the rate of upwelling of lavas due to fissure flow is also slow. Consequently, shallow focus earthquakes are caused along the constructive plate boundaries or say along the mid-oceanic ridges.

The depth of ‘focus’ of earthquakes associated with the constructive plate boundaries ranges between 25 km to 35 km but a few earthquakes have also been found to have occurred at the depth of 60 km. It is, thus, obvious that the earthquakes occurring along the mid-Atlantic Ridge, mid- Indian Oceanic Ridge and East Pacific Rise are caused because of movement of plates in opposite directions (divergence) and consequent formation of faults and ruptures and upwelling of magma or fissure flow of basaltic lavas (fig. 10.1).

Earthquakes of high magnitude and deep focus are caused along the convergent or destructive plate boundaries because of collision of two convergent plates and consequent subduction of one plate boundary along the Benioff zone. Here mountain building, faulting and violent volcanic eruptions (central explosive type of eruptions) cause severe and disastrous earthquakes having the focus at the depth up to 700 km.

This process, convergence of plates and related plate collision, explains the maximum occurrence of earthquakes of varying magnitudes along the Fire Ring of the Pacific or the Circum-Pacific Belt (along the western and eastern margins of the Pacific Ocean or say along the western coastal margins of North and South Americas and thus the Rockies to Andes Mountain Belt and along the eastern coastal margins of Asia and island arcs and festoons parallel to the Asiatic coast).

The earthquakes of the Mid-Conti- nental Belt along the Alpine-Himalayan chains are caused due to collision of Eurasian plates and African and Indian plates. The earthquakes of the western marginal areas of North and South Americas are caused because of subduction of Pacific plate beneath the American plate and the resultant tectonic forces whereas the earthquakes of the eastern margins of Asia are originated because of the subduction of Pacific plate under Asiatic plate.

Similarly, the subduction of African plate below European plate and the subduction of Indian plate under Asiastic plate cause earthquakes of the mid-continental belt. The severe earthquake of Bhuj of Jan. 26, 2001 (Gujarat, India) was caused due to reactivated subsurface faults due to subduction of Indian plate below Asiatic plate.

Creation of transform faults along the conservative plate boundaries explains the occurrence of severe earthquakes of California (USA). Here one part of California moves north-eastward while the other part moves south-westward along the fault plane and thus is formed transform fault which causes earthquakes.

Essay # 3. Classification of Earthquakes :

It has become apparent after the discussion of the causes of seismic events that there is wide range of variation in the nature and magnitude of earthquakes. Each earthquake differs from the other and thus it becomes difficult to classify all the earthquakes into certain categories.

Inspite of these limitations earthquakes are classified on the basis of common characteristics as given below.

i. Classification on the basis of Causative Factors :

(A) Natural earthquakes are those which are caused by natural processes i.e., due to endogenetic forces.

These are further divided into four subcategories:

(i) Volcanic earthquakes are caused due to volcanic eruptions of explosive and fissure types. Generally, volcanic earthquakes are confined to volcanic areas. The intensity and magnitude of such earthquakes depend on the intensity and magnitude of volcanic eruptions. Examples, severe earthquakes caused by violent explosions of Krakatao volcano in 1883 and Etna volcano in 1968.

(ii) Tectonic earthquakes are caused due to dislocation of rock blocks during faulting activity. Such earthquakes are very severe and disastrous. Examples, 1872 earthquake and 1906 earthquake of California (USA), 1923 earthquake of Sagami Bay (Japan), 2001 earthquake of Gujarat etc.

(iii) Isostatic earthquakes are triggered due to sudden disturbance in the isostatic balance at regional scale due to imbalance in the geological processes. Generally, the earthquakes of active zones of mountain building are included in this category.

(iv) Plutonic earthquakes are infact deep-focus earthquakes which occur at greater depths. The centres (foci) of these earthquakes are generally located within the depths ranging from 240 km to 670 km.

(B) Artificial or man-induced earthquakes or anthropogenic earthquakes are caused by human activities such as pumping of water and mineral oil from underground aquifers and oil reserves respectively, deep underground mining, blasting of rocks by dynamites for constructional purposes (e.g., for the construction of dams and reservoirs, roads etc.), nuclear explosion, storage of huge volume of water in big reservoirs etc.

Examples, 1931 earthquake of Greece due to Marathon Dam, 1936 earthquake of Hoover Dam (USA) due to Lake Mead, Koyna earthquake (Maharashtra, India) of 1967 due to Koyna reservoir etc.

ii. Classification on the basis of Focus :

Guttenberg has divided the world seismic centres on the basis of the depths of their foci into 3 types viz.:

(i) Moderate earthquakes—foci are located at the depths from the ground surface (0 km) to 50 km,

(ii) Intermediate earthquakes-seismic foci at the depths between 50 km and 250 km and

(iii) Deep focus earthquakes-seismic foci at the depths between 250 km and 700 km. Moderate and intermediate earthquakes are also called as shallow focus and intermediate focus earthquakes respectively.

iii. Classification on the basis of Human Casualties:

Earthquakes are grouped into 3 categories on the basis of their hazardous impacts in terms of human casualties:

(i) Moderately hazardous earthquakes- When human deaths caused by severe seismic tremors are below 50,000 mark. Examples, Kamakura earthquake of Japan of 1293 A.D. (22,000 deaths), Tabas earthquake of Iran of 1978 A.D. (25,000 deaths), Armenian earthquake of erstwhile USSR of 1988 (26,000 deaths), Lisbon earthquake of Portugal in 1531 A.D. (30,000 deaths), Chile earthquake of 1939 A.D. (40,000 deaths), Quito earthquake of Ecudador in 1797 A.D. (41,000 deaths), Calabria earthquakes of Italy in 1783 A.D. (50,000 deaths), North Iranian earthquake of 1990 A.D. (50,000 deaths) etc.

(ii) Highly hazardous earthquakes causing human deaths ranging between 51,000 and 1,00,000 occurred in 1268 (in Silicia, Asia Minor, death toll, 60,000), in 1667 (in Shemaka, Caucasia, death toll 60,000), in 1693 (Catania, Italy, 93,000 deaths), in 1693 (Naples, Italy, 93,000 deaths), in 1932 (Kansu, China, human deaths, 70,000), in 1935 (Quetta, Baluchistan, death toll, 60,000), in 1970 (Chimbote, Peru, 67,000 deaths), in 2001 (Bhuj, Gujarat, 50,000-1,00,000 death) etc.

(iii) Most hazardous earthquakes causing human casualitis above 1,00,000 mark occurred in the year 1290 (in Chihli, China, 1,00,000 deaths), in 1556 (in Shen-Shu, China, 8,30,000 deaths), in 1737 (Kolkata, India, 3,00,000 deaths), in 1908 (in Messina, Italy, 1,60,000 deaths), in 1920 (in Kansu, China 1,80,000 deaths), in 1923 (in Tokyo, Japan, 1,63,000 deaths), in 1967 (in Tang-Shan, China 7,50,000) deaths etc.

Essay # 4. Hazardous Effects of Earthquakes:

It may be pointed out that the intensity of earthquakes and their hazardous impacts are determined not on the basis of the magnitude of seismic intensity as determined by Richter scale but are decided on the basis of quantum of damages done by a specific earthquake to human lives and property.

An earthquake becomes hazard and desaster only when it strikes the populated area. The direct and indirect disastrous effects of earthquakes include deformation of ground surfaces, damage and destruction of human structures such as buildings, rails, roads, bridges, dams, factories, destruction of towns and cities, loss of human and animal lives and property, violent devastating fires, landslides, floods, disturbances in groundwater conditions etc.

i. Slope Instability and Failures and Landslides:

The shocks produced by earthquakes particularly in those hilly and mountainous areas which are composed of weaker lithologies and are tectonically sensitive and weak cause slope instability and slope failure and ultimately cause landslides and debris falls which damage settlements and transport systems on the lower slope segments.

The shocks generated by Peruvian earthquake of May, 1970 triggered off the collapse of ice caps seated on the peak of high mountain called Huascaran of 6654 m height near the town of Yungay in Peru.

The huge masses of falling ice dislodged thousands of tonnes of rock mass from the said mountain and thus was generated a gigantic debris flow down the slope of Huascaran mountain travelling at the speed of 320 km per hour. The enormous mass of debris flow covered a distance of 15 km within few minutes and buried many buildings and human structures of Yungay town and killed about 25,000 people.

ii. Damage to Human Structures:

Earthquakes inflict great damage to human structures such as buildings, roads, rails, factories, dams, bridges, and thus cause heavy loss of human property. It may be pointed out that in the ground surface composed of unconsolidated geomaterials, such as alluvium, colluvium, artificially infilled and levelled depressions, swamp deposits reclaimed through the dumping of coarse sands and city garbages the vibrations of earthquakes last longer and the amplitudes of seismic waves are greater than in the structures of consolidated materials, and bedrocks. Thus, the earthquakes cause more damages in the areas of unconsolidated ground than their counterparts in the regions of solid structures and bedrocks.

Two major earthquakes of Bihar-Nepal border in 1934 and 1988 can explain the impact of earthquake disasters on human structures and human lives. The damage caused by the Bihar earthquake of 15 January, 1934, measuring 8.4 on Richter scale, include 10,700 human deaths, landslides and slumping in an area of 250 km length and 60 km width, ruptures and faults in the ground surface etc. which caused irreparable damage to human structures.

The Darbhanga (Bihar) earthquake of 21 August, 1988 measuring only 6.5 magnitude on Richter scale (1000 times smaller than the great earthquake of 1934 in intensity) damaged 25,000 houses due to unconsolidated Gangetic alluvium which in fact acted as a seismic amplifier. The disastrous earthquake of Mexico city of 1985 (September) caused total collapse of 400 buildings, damage to 6,000 buildings and moderate damage to 50,000 buildings.

Besides, the infrastructures of the city were seriously damaged, for example, water pipes were broken, telecommunication lines and systems were severely damaged, power and water supplies were disrupted, inner vehicular transport was halted etc.

The severe earthquake of 9 February, 1971 in the San Fernando valley, located to the north-west of Los Angeles (USA) caused total collapse of Olive New Hospital in Sylmar. This damage shocked everybody because this building was constructed in conformity with the earthquake resistance standards. Uttar Kashi (Uttaranchal) earthquake of 1991 and Latur-Kilari quake (Maharashtra) of 1993 (India) flattened many buildings.

iii. Damages to the Towns and Cities:

Earthquakes have their worst effects on towns and cities because of highest density of buildings and large agglomerations of human populations. The earth tremors of higher magnitudes shake the ground to such an extent that large buildings collapse and men and women are hurried under large debris and rubbles of collapsed structural materials of buildings, ground water pipes are bent and damaged and thus water supply is totally disrupted, electric poles are uprooted and electric and telephone wires and cables are heavily damaged causing total disruption of electric supply, obstruction and destruction of sewer systems causes epidemics, road blocks throw the transport systems out of gear etc.

Kolkata city was severely damaged due to severe earthquake of 11 October, 1737 as thousands of buildings were severely damaged and 3,00,000 people were killed. The sad tale of the destruction of Mexico city due to the earthquake of 1985 has already been described. Recent Bhuj earthquake of Gujarat (Jan. 26, 2001) flattered towns of Anjar and Bhuj destroying more than 90 percent buildings.

iv. Loss of Human Lives and Property:

It may be pointed out that it is not the intensity (magnitude of Richter scale) of earthquake alone which matters more as regards the human casualities but it is the density of human population and houses which matter more in terms of human deaths and loss of property.

For example, the Kangra earthquake of India in 1905 recorded 8.6 magnitude on Richter scale but it could cause deaths of only 20,000 people whereas 1976 Tang-Shan earthquake of China measuring 7.8 to 8.1 on Richter scale killed 7,50,000 people.

More than 40,000 people lost their lives in the devastating earthquake of Turkey (August 17,1999) which recorded 7.4 on Richter scale. The loss of human lives caused by earthquakes has been enumerated in the preceding section on the classification of earthquakes based on human casualities (see also tables 10.1, 10.2, 10.3).

The strong vibrations caused by severe earthquakes strongly shake the buildings and thus strong oscillations cause severe fires in houses, mines and factories because of overturning of cooking gas cylinders, contact of live electric wires, churning of blast furnaces, displacement of other electric and fire- related appliances. For example, the house wives were cooking their lunches in the kitchens when disastrous killer earthquake struck in the vicinity of Tokyo and Sagami Bay in 1923.

Consequently, severe fire broke out which claimed the lives of 38,000 people out of total fatalities of 1,63,000 caused by the earthquake through various processes. This earthquake resulted into total loss of property worth 2,500 million US dollars. The severe earthquake of San Fransisco (USA), which occurred on April 18, 1906, caused widespread fires in several parts of the city.

No water could be made available immediately to extinguish the fire because water pipes were also broken and displaced by the earthquake. Two biggest oil refineries of Turkey were completely devastated due to fire caused by the killer earthquake of August 17, 1999 (7.4).

vi. Deformation of Ground Surface:

Severe earth tremors and resultant vibrations caused by severe earthquakes result in the deformation of ground surface because of rise and subsidence of ground surface and faulting activity. For example, the Alaska (USA) earthquake of 1964 caused displacement of ground surface upto 10-15 metres.

The 1897-Assam earthquake caused a large fault measuring 10.6 m (35 feet) wide and 19.3 km (12 miles) long. Several faults were created in the mouth areas of the Mississippi river because of the earthquakes of 1811, 1812 and 1813 in the Mississippi valley. The alluvial-filled areas of the flood plains of the Mississippi were fractured at many places which forced ground surface at few places to collapse. This process resulted in the formation of lakes and marshes.

The ground surface was greatly deformed in the delta area of the Indus River (in Pakistan) due to the earthquake of 1819 as an area of 4,500 square kilometres was submerged beneath sea water and this land area disappeared for ever. It may be pointed out that subsidence in one area is followed by emergence of the land in other area.

This also happened in the Indus delta area as a large area measuring 80 km in length and 26 km in width was raised by 3 m from the surrounding area. Similarly, the coastal land of Chile was raised from 6m to 13 m because of the earthquake of 1835. The seafloor of Sagami Bay of Japan was subsided from 305 m to 457 m because of the earthquake of 1923.

vii. Flash Floods:

Strong seismic events result in the damages of dams and cause severe flash floods. Severe floods are also caused because of blocking of water flow of rivers due to rock blocks and debris produced by severe tremors on the hill slopes facing the river valleys. Sometimes, the blockade of the rivers is so immense that even the main course of the river is changed.

The 1950 earthquake of Assam produced barrier in the Dihang river, the tributary of the Brahmaputra River, due to accumulation of huge debris caused by landslides triggered by earth tremors and thus caused severe flash floods in the upstream sections. Similarly, the dam on Subansiri River broke in and resultant flash flood submerged an area of 770 square kilometres.

viii. Tsunamis:

The seismic waves, caused by the earthquakes travelling through sea water, generate high sea waves and cause great loss of life and property. Since the Pacific Ocean is girdled by the ring of earthquakes and volcanoes tsunamis are more common in the Pacific with a minimum frequency of 2 tsunamis per year. The Kutch earthquake of June 16, 1819 generated strong tsunamis which submerged the coastal areas and inflicted great damage to ships and country-made boats of the fishermen.

The land area measuring 24 km in length was raised upward because of tectonic movement triggered by the said earthquake which provided shelter to the stranded and marooned people. This is why the people called this raised land as Allah’s Bund (bund created by the God). The great tsunamis caused by the Lisbon earthquake of the year 1755 (in Portugal) generated about 12 m high sea waves which damaged most parts of Lisbon city and killed 30,000 to 60,000 people.

The impact of this earthquake was so enormous that the waters of inland lakes like Looh Lomond and Looh Ness continued to oscillate for several hours. The strong tsunamis triggered by Lisbon earthquake also caused 3.5 m to 4.5 m high waves as far away as the West Indies. The earthquake caused by violent volcanic eruption of Karakatoa in 1883 caused enormous tsunamis which generated 36.5 m high sea waves which ravaged the coastal areas of Java and Sumatra and killed 36,000 people.

Tsunami: Historical Perspective:

The waves generated in the oceans triggered by high magnitude earthquakes in the ocean floors (exceeding 7.5 on Richter scale), or by violent central volcanic eruptions, or by massive landslides of the coastal lands or of submerged continental shelves and slopes or in deep oceanic trenches, are called tsunami, which is a Japanese word meaning thereby harbour waves.

The tsunamis are long waves (with longer wavelengths of 100 km or more) which travel at the speed of hundreds of kilometers per hour but are of shallow in depth in deeper oceans and seas. As these waves approach coastal land, the depth of oceanic water decreases but the height of tsunamis increases enormously and when they strike the coast, they cause havoc in the coastal areas.

The best example of tsunami induced by violent volcanic eruption is from Krakatao eruption which occurred in 1883. Severe earthquake caused by Krakatao eruption generated furious tsunami waves ranging in 30 to 40 meters in height (average being 120 feet or 36.5 m). These waves were so violent that they ravaged the coasts of Java and Sumatra and killed 36,000 people.

Since the Pacific Ocean is girdled by convergent plate boundaries and the ring of earthquakes and volcanoes, tsunamis are more common in the Pacific with a minimum frequency of 2 tsunamis per year. The great tsunamis caused by the Lisbon earthquake (Portugal) of the year 1755 generated about 12 m high sea waves which damaged most parts of Lisbon city and killed 30,000 to 60,000 people.

The Kutch earthquake of June 16, 1819 generated strong tsunamis which submerged the coastal areas. The land area measuring 24 km in length was raised upward because of tectonic movements. The raised land was called as Allah’s Bund (bund created by the God).

The following are the significant tsunamis in the second half of the 20th century and 21st century:

(1) Aleutian tsunami:

April 1,1946, generated by Aleutian earthquake of the magnitude of 7.8 on Richter scale, the resultant tsunami with a height of 35 m killed many people in Alaskan and Hawaiian coastal areas.

(2) Kamchatka tsunami:

Nov. 4,1952, earthquake of the magnitude of 8.2, generated Pacific-wide tsunami with a wave height of 15 m.

(3) Aleutian tsunami:

March 9, 1957, earthquake of the magnitude of 8.3 on Richter scale, generated a Pacific-wide tsunami of 16 m height and adversely affected Hawaii islands.

(4) Chilean tsunami:

May 22, 1960, a strong earthquake of the magnitude of 8.6 on Richter scale, generated Pacific-wide tsunamis and claimed 2,300 human lives in Chile.

(5) Alaskan tsunami:

March 28,1964, a strong earthquake of the magnitude of 8.4 on Richter scale, generated 15 m high tsunami and killed more than 120 people in Alaska.

(6) Papua New Guirea tsunami:

July 17, 1998, a moderate intensity (7.00n Richter scale) submarine earthquake followed by massive submarine landslides generated 30m high tsunami killing thousands of people living along the lagoon.

(7) Sumatra tsunami:

December 26, 2004, a powerful earthquake of the magnitude of 9 on Richter scale, off the coast of Sumatra with its epicenter at Simeulue in the Indian Ocean occurred at 00:58:53 (GMT), 7:58:53 (Indonesian Local Time) or 6.28 a.m. (Indian Standard Time, 1ST) and generated a powerful tsunami with a wavelength of 160 km and initial speed of 960 km/hr. The deep oceanic earthquake was caused due to sudden subduction of Indian plate below Burma plate upto 20 meters in a boundary line of 1000 km or even more (2000 km upto southern China).

This tectonic movement caused 10 m rise in the oceanic bed which suddenly displaced immense volune of water causing killer tsunami. This earthquake was largest (highest on Richter scale) since 1950 and the 4th largest since 1900 A.D. The Andaman and Nicobar group of islands were only 128 km (80 miles) away from the epicenter (Simeulue) and the east coasts of India were about 1920 km (1200 miles) away from the epicenter.

The furious tsunami with a height of about 10 m adversely affected 12 countries bordering the Indian Ocean; worst affected areas included Tamil Nadu coast and Andman-Nicobar Islands of India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand. The strong tsunami took about 3 hours to strike Tamil Nadu coast. The killer tsunami claimed more than200,000 human lives in the affected countries wherein Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India stood 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the number of human casualties.

Japan Tsunami, 2011 :

Date : March, 11, 2011; time : Japan time = 2.46 A. M., 1ST = 6.15 A. M.; undersea earth quake of 8.9 magnitude; epicenter 130 km off the coast of Sendai City near Lameng Village and 380 km north-east of Tokyo, at the depth of 10 km on sea bed; tsunami wave height 10m; more than 10,000 people killed; many cities like Miyako, Miyagi, Kesennuma were flattened; Sendai airport was inundated with heaps of cars, trucks, buses and mud deposits; aircrafts including fighter planes standing on airport were washed out by gushing tsunami waves; rotation speed of the earth increased by 16 microseconds; day length decreased by 1.6 microseconds; Honshu island was displaced by 2.4 m due to monstrous quake; earth rotational axis was displaced by 10 centimeters; 2100 km stretch of eastern coastlines having several villages, cities and towns were battered by killer tsunami; nuclear power plants in Fukushima severely damaged resulting into leakage of killer radiactive radiation; more than 5 lakh people in the radius of 20 km from Fukushima power plants were evacuated and shifted to safer places.

Essay # 5. World Distribution of Earthquakes :

If we look at the world distribution map of earthquakes (fig. 10.2) it appears that the seismic centres are closely related to certain zones of the globe. Earthquakes are, in fact, associated with the weaker and isostatically disturbed areas of the globe.

Most of the world earthquakes occur in:

(i) The zones of young folded mountains,

(ii) The zones of faulting and fracturing,

(iii) The zones representing the junction of continental and oceanic margins,

(iv) The zones of active volcanoes, and

(v) Along different plate boundaries.

The world map of the distribution of earthquakes prepared by the seismologists on the basis of computer analysis and simulation of 30,000 earthquakes that occurred between 1961 and 1967 very much coincides with the traditional map of world distribution of earthquakes (fig. 10.2) e.g.,

(1) Circum- Pacific Belt surrounding the Pacific Ocean,

(2) Mid- Continental Belt representing epicentres located along the Alpine-Himalayan Chains of Eurasia and northern Africa and epicentres of East African Fault Zones, and

(3) Mid-Atlantic Belt representing the earthquakes located along the mid-Atlantic Ridge and its offshoots. ‘The high-quality seismicity maps showed that narrow belts of epicentres coincide almost exactly with the crest of mid-Atlantic (Ridge).

The east Pacific, and the other oceanic ridges, where plates separate. Earthquake epicenters are also aligned along the transform faults, where plates slide past each other. But the earthquakes that occur at depths greater than about 100 km typically occur near margins where plates collide. It is a basic tenet of the theory of plate tectonics that these deep earthquakes actually define the positions of sub-ducted plates which are plunging back into the mantle beneath an overriding plate.

(1) Circum-Pacific Belt includes the epicentres of the coastal margins of North and South Americas and East Asia representing the eastern and western margins of the Pacific Ocean respectively. This belt accounts for about 65 per cent of the total earthquakes of the world.

This belt presents 4 ideal conditions for the occurrences of earthquakes viz.:

(i) Junction of continental and oceanic margins,

(ii) Zone of young folded mountains,

(iii) Zone of active volcanoes, and

(iv) Subduction zone of destructive or convergent plate boundaries.

The western marginal zones of North and South Americas are represented by Rockies and Andes folded mountain chains respectively. These zones are isostatically very sensitive zones because they are also the zones of convergent plate boundaries where the Pacific Oceanic plate is being continuously subducted below the American plates. Besides, these zones are also the areas of strong volcanic activity.

The earthquakes associated with the eastern coastal margins of Asia and the island arcs and festoons (Kamchatka, Sakhalin, Japan, Philippines) are caused due to the collision of the Pacific and Asiatic plates and consequent vulcanicity. Japan records about 1500 seismic shocks every year.

The recent earthquake of Mexico city in 1985 reveals the impact of collision of convergent (destructive) plate boundaries on the occurrences of earthquakes. The damage done by the devastating earthquake included death of 5,000 people, disappearance of 2,000 persons, injuries to 40,000 people, destruction of 4000 buildings, damages to 6,000 buildings, lesser damage to 50,000 buildings etc.

(2) Mid-continental belt is also known as Mediterranean Belt or Alpine-Himalayan Belt which represents the collision or subduction zones of continental plates. About 21 per cent of the total seismic events of the world are recorded in this belt.

This belt includes the epicentres of the Alpine mountains and their offshoots in Europe, Mediterranean Sea, northern Africa, eastern Africa and the Himalayan mountains and Burmese hills. This belt represents the weaker zones of folded mountains where isostatic and fault-induced earthquakes are caused due to subduction of African and Indian plates below Eurasian plate.

The Indian seismic foci are grouped into 3 zones viz.:

(i) Himalayan region,

(ii) Plain region, and

(iii) Plateau region.

The Himalayan region is a zone of maximum intensity in terms of the magnitude of seismic tremors because this zone is located in the subduction zones of the Asiatic and Indian plates where the process of mountain building is still in progress. Uttar Kashi earthquake of October 20, 1991 and Chamoli earthquake of 29 March, 1999 (all in Uttaranchal of India) are latest examples. The plain seismic region is a zone of comparatively moderate intensity.

Even the earthquakes of Assam are also included in this zone. The significant earthquakes recorded in the past in this region are 1934 earthquakes of Bihar, Assam earthquake of 1950, Kolkata earthquake of 1737 and Darbhanga earthquake (Bihar) of 1988. The peninsular Indian region is considered to be a zone of minimum intensity.

The Indian earthquakes along the Himalayas and foothill zones may be explained in terms of plate tectonics. The Asiatic plate is moving southward whereas the Indian plate is moving northward and hence the northern margin of the Indian plate is being subducted below the Asiatic plate.

The collision of Asiatic and Indian plates and resultant subduction of Indian plate and consequent folding and faulting and gradual rise of the Himalayas at the rate of 50 mm per year cause earthquakes of northern India, Tibet and Nepal.

According to J.G. Negi, P.K. Agrawal and O.P. Pandey (as reported in Hindu, September 8, 1988) the Indian subcontinent has deformed at places due to the Indian Ocean floor spreading process. India folds at places and when the energy reaches the elastic limit the rocks break up and trigger strike-slip and thrust fault earthquakes. The Himalayan fault zone is not actually one fault but a broad system of interactive faults. It consists of a complex grid of faults extending all along this colliding zone.

The earthquake belt extends through Sulaiman and Kirthar shear zones in the west, the Himalayas in the north and Burmese arc in the east. These tectonic events caused by plate movements cause earthquakes in the northern and north-eastern parts of India. Even the earthquakes of Peninsular India have been related to the active faults below deccan traps.

On the basis of magnitude of damage risk India is divided into five damage risk zones:

1. Zone I of least damage risk includes the places of some parts of Punjab and Haryana, plain areas of Uttar Pradesh, portions of plains of Bihar and west Bengal, delta area of the Godavari, coastal plain areas of Maharashtra and Kerala, desert areas of Rajasthan and most areas of Gujarat except Kutch area.

2. Zone II of low damage risk includes southern Punjab and Haryana, southern parts of plains of Uttar Pradesh, eastern Rajasthan, coastal districts of Orissa, Tamil Nadu etc.

3. Zone III of moderate damage risk represents the areas of southern and south-eastern Rajasthan, most of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka, southern Bihar(Jharkhand), northern and north-western Orissa etc.

4. Zone IV of high damage risk covers Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, northern Punjab and Haryana, Delhi, eastern Uttar Pradesh, ‘tarai’ and ‘bhabar’ regions and Himalayan regions of Uttaranchal and Bihar and Sikkim areas.

5. Zone V of very high damage risk includes parts of Jammu and Kashmir, some parts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, western north Bihar (including Munger-Darbhanga), entire north eastern India and Kutch areas of Gujarat.

Though the plains of west Bengal comes under the zone of least damage risk but the devastating severe earthquake of Kolkata of 11 October, 1737, killing 300,000 people, puts a question mark against this concept. The zone of very high damage risk of Kutch region of Gujarat registered most devastating killer earthquake on Jan. 26, 2001 in its seismic history of past 182 years killing 50,000 to 100,000 people. The epicenter was located near Bhuj town.

Bhuj Earthquake (2001):

While the people of India were busy in celebrating the first republic day on Jan. 26, 2001 of the new century in different parts of the country and the programme of display of might of armed forces of the country was in progress in New Delhi, the nature demonstrated its might by rocking Kutch region of Gujarat when a severe earthquake struck at 8.45 A.M. and shook the region for almost a minute.

Within no time the villages and towns were flattened, high rise buildings collapsed, many villages and towns became heaps of debris, communication and power lines were completely disrupted, transport system was thrown out of gear and settlements became ruins. This was the second most devastating quake in the earthquake history of India after 1737 killer earthquake of Kolkata (300,000 people dead). The epicentre of this earthquake was located near Bhuj town (population, 150,000).

A moderate quake measuring 4.2 on Richter scale was registered on 24 December, 2000. The epicentre of this precursor quake was located only 22 km away from Bhuj town but no attention was paid to this precursor seismic event either by experts or by govt., agencies. The Bhuj quake of Jan. 26, 2001 was measured 6.9 on Richter scale by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) while the quake was measured 7.9 which was subsequently upgraded to 8.1 by the U.S.A. France and China.

National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) of India and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) also confirmed the American measurement (8.1). According to Indian Meteorological Department the main reason for the difference in the magnitude of the quake was the application of different methodologies for the measurement of seismic magnitude by different countries and organizations.

It may be pointed out that the IMD uses body wave for the measurement of seismic magnitude while the USA uses shock waves for this purpose. This severe devastating earthquake killed 50,000 to 100,000 people and adversely affected 5,000,000 people. Bhachau and Anjar towns were totally flattened, 90, 60 and 50 per cent houses collapsed in Bhuj, Rajkot and Ahmedabad respectively.

If we look at the past seismic history of Gujarat, it appears that a severe earthquake occurs every 30 years e.g., Bhawnagar earthquake, 1872; Kutch earthquake, 1903; Dwarka earthquake, 1940; Broach earthquake, 1970 and Bhuj earthquake, 2001. Between 1845 and 1956 sixty six moderate earthquakes were registered in Kutch area but no one was killed, five severe and one very severe earthquakes rocked the area.

In fact, the sequence of destruction of Kutch began with the severe earthquake of June 19, 1819 (7.1 on Richter scale) when 2000 people were killed, Bhuj town was destroyed, famous mosquake of Ahmedabad was damaged, a 100 km long ridge known as Allah Bund was created (most of which is now in Sind of Pakistan, only 15 km ridge is in India) was formed etc.

The main reasons for the recent Bhuj earthquake of2001 are: sea floor spreading of Indian Ocean at the rate of 5 cm per year, gradual northward movement of Indian plate and reactivated faults below the surface. Two major connecting faults have been located in Kutch region. A 200 km long and 100 km wide fault runs east-west between Bhuj and Ahmedabad.

The second fault measuring 500 km in length and 100 km in width runs in north-south direction through Ahmedabad, Mehsana and Baroda and is known as Combay Graben. These subterranean faults intersect each other near Viramgam, Santhalpur and Radhanpur towns and become the pivot of seismic events whenever these are activated due to plate movement.

(3) Mid-Atlantic Ridge Belt includes the epicentres located along the mid-Atlantic Ridge and several islands nearer the ridge. This belt records moderate and shallow focus earthquakes which are essentially caused due to the creation of transform faults and fractures because of splitting of plates and their movement in opposite directions. Thus, the spreading of sea floor and fissure type of volcanic eruption cause earthquakes of moderate intensity.

It may be pointed out that the earthquakes that occur along the plate margins (boundaries) are well explained on the basis of plate tectonic theory but the earthquakes originating within the plates are difficult to be explained on the basis of this revolutionary theory.

For example, the earthquakes of New Madrid, Charleston, Boston, Tang-Shan, Koyna etc. are a few examples of intraplate earthquakes. Similarly, ‘the seismicity of the Indian Shield as revealed from Kutch (1819), Koyna (1967), Bhadrachalam (1969) and Broach (1970) cannot be explained easily by plate tectonics since they occurred away from plate boundary’.

Concept of Seismic Zoning | Seismology | Geology
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Earthquake: Causes, Effects and Distribution of Earthquake
Essay on Natural Disasters: Top 12 Essays | Geography

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Earthquakes shake the ground surface, can cause buildings to collapse, disrupt transport and services, and can cause fires. They can trigger landslides and tsunami.

Earthquakes occur mainly as a result of plate tectonics, which involves blocks of the Earth moving about the Earth's surface. The blocks of rock move past each other along a fault. Smaller earthquakes, called foreshocks, may precede the main earthquake, and aftershocks may occur after the main earthquake. Earthquakes are mainly confined to specific areas of the Earth known as seismic zones, which coincide mainly with ocean trenches, mid-ocean ridges, and mountain ranges.

The point of origin of an earthquake is called the focus. The epicentre is the point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus. Most earthquake foci are within a few tens of kilometres of the Earth's surface. Earthquakes less than 70 km deep are classified as shallow-focus. Intermediate-focus earthquakes are 70-300 km deep, and deep-focus earthquakes more than 300 km deep. Shallow-focus earthquakes occur in all of the Earth's seismic zones, but intermediate- and deep-focus earthquakes are almost exclusively associated with seismic zones near ocean trenches.

The destructiveness of an earthquake depends on the size, the depth (shallow ones are more destructive) and the location. Earthquake size can be stated in terms of the damage caused (the intensity) or the amount of ground motion and the energy released by the earthquake (related to the Richter magnitude).

Revision Notes for Earthquakes Class 9 Geography ICSE

Icse revision notes for earthquakes class 9 geography.

Earthquakes

An earthquake is a tremor below the surface of the Earth which causes shaking of the Earth’s crust.

Causes of Earthquake

Earthquakes are generally caused by sudden forces because of the following reasons:

Plate tectonics : Most of the earthquakes occur because of the movement of tectonic plates. They are caused when two plates either slip past each other or collide against each other. Under such circumstances, their edges produce faults along the lines of weakness.
Isostatic disturbances : Earthquakes may occur when disturbances are produced by the deposition of sediments by rivers and glaciers on the ocean floor. Because the asthenosphere (the upper layer of the Earth’s mantle) is in the semi-molten state, any disturbance in the equilibrium between oceans and continents may result in movements causing earthquakes.
Man-made causes : Construction of large dams near the fault zones may result in isostatic movements causing earthquakes.

Anatomy of an Earthquake

An earthquake is caused by the movement of lithospheric plates inside the surface of the Earth. Because these plates move, the surface of the Earth vibrates. The vibrations can travel all round the Earth.
The place in the Earth’s crust where the movement first starts is called focus .
The place on the surface above the focus is called epicentre .
It is from the epicentre that vibrations in the form of waves travel outwards. These are known as seismic waves .
The greatest damage and destruction to human life and property occur at places which are closest to the epicentre. The strength of the earthquake decreases as it moves away from the epicentre.
∙Earthquake waves are classified into three types. These are: 1. P waves : These are known as primary waves. They pass through solids, liquids and gases. These are the first earthquake waves which can be recorded on a seismogram. 2. S waves: These waves travel through the Earth’s interior but cannot be transmitted by liquids. They are recorded on a seismograph after the P waves. 3. L waves: They are long waves and are recorded after the P and S waves. L waves may be further classified into Love waves and Rayleigh waves.

A seismograph is an instrument which measures and records the details of an earthquake such as its duration, force and direction. The seismograph has a pen attached to it. When an earthquake occurs, the pen also vibrates along with the vibrations produced by the earthquake. The pen records the movements of vibrations on a moving strip of paper. Various waves which are formed by the moving pen give us an estimate of the direction and force of an earthquake. It also calculates the difference in the arrival of P and S waves.

The intensity of an earthquake is measured on the Richter scale and the Mercalli scale. The Richter scale is commonly used for measuring an earthquake. While the Richter scale measures the intensity of the earthquake on a scale from 1 to 9, the Mercalli scale measures it on a 12 point scale. Earthquakes measured above the Richter scale of 6 onwards cause damage to life and property.

Effects of an Earthquake

Earthquakes have constructive and destructive effects.

Constructive Effects

Earthquakes help the Earth in releasing its energy.
As a result of earthquakes, many landforms are built. It also results in changing the coastline. Earthquakes in the Himalayan region have resulted in the formation of various lakes. Further, the formation of bays, estuaries and gulfs because of earthquakes has resulted in better navigation.

Destructive Effects

Earthquakes measuring 6 and above on the Richter scale may result in the loss of human lives. About 15,000 people are killed every year because of earthquakes.
Earthquakes inflict serious damage to buildings, structures, roads, bridges and railways. Submergence: Many coastal areas get submerged in water because of earthquakes. For example, Dwarka in Gujarat now lies submerged in water.
Powerful earthquakes may change the course of rivers which may render an area infertile.
After earthquakes, fire may also break out. This may happen when inflammable material is thrown onto broken gas lines. In the earthquake of 1906 in San Francisco, a great fire broke out which proved to be more destructive than the earthquake itself.
Tsunamis are caused by earthquakes occurring in the sea. These can cause huge destruction in the coastal regions.

Tsunamis

Tsunamis are long, high waves mainly caused by earthquakes. They can also be caused by volcanic eruption or meteorite impact. An earthquake in the Indian Ocean in 2004 triggered a series of tsunamis on 26 December 2004 in which thousands of people were killed in India, Indonesia Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Distribution of Earthquakes

Earthquakes mostly originate from the plate boundaries. There are two main belts where the possibility of the occurrence of an earthquake is the largest.

The Circum Pacific Mountain Belt: The regions lying in this belt are Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia and California in USA. About 70% of earthquakes originate in this zone.
The Midway Mountain Belt: This belt extends from Eastern Europe to Asia. It covers the Alpine and Himalayan regions. About 20% of earthquakes originate in this zone.
The remaining 10% of earthquakes are associated with submarine ridges, ocean floors, rift valleys and other fault zones.

India is located in the Mid-Mountain Belt. The regions in India which are highly prone to earthquakes are Kashmir, the foothills of the Himalayas, the Northeastern region and the Rann of Kachchh. Earthquakes frequently take place in the foothills of the Himalayas and the Ganga Brahmaputra valley as these are the regions where the tectonic plates meet. Maharashtra is also prone to earthquakes.

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Essay on Earthquake in English for Children and Students

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Essay on Earthquake: The earthquake is one of the most terrible natural disasters. Its source can be traced to the early days of earth formation. It is responsible for a great loss of life and property. It is, therefore, a great problem for mankind. The word earthquake is derived from the Greek words, ‘earth’ meaning ground and ‘quake’ meaning shaking or trembling. An earthquake, therefore, is a shaking or trembling of the earth.

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Earthquake occurs due to disturbance in the tectonic plates that lie under the surface of Earth. Earthquakes may be brief and mild or big and destructive. Our planet has suffered several severe and mild earthquakes since centuries. Earthquakes are mostly brief but can cause mass destruction within seconds. People around the world have suffered immensely due to earthquakes in the past.

Long and Short Essay on Earthquake in English

Here are essay on Earthquake of varying lengths to help you with the topic in your exam. You can select any Earthquake essay as per you need:

Short Essay on Earthquake in 200 words

Earthquakes occur suddenly, usually without any warning signs, and can cause huge destruction. Though there is a separate branch of science referred to as seismology that study about earthquakes and tries to predicts their occurrence however, it doesn’t help in determining the exact time or date of this natural calamity.

Scientists around the world constantly try to predict the occurrence of earthquakes. While seismology department does warn against Earthquake in certain areas in future however it is unable to find out as to when exactly it would occur.

As it is said, little knowledge is dangerous hence lame predictions about earthquakes do more harm to the people than good. People begin to live in constant fear of earthquake. Panic among people living in such areas can be seen clearly as they can hardly do much about safeguarding themselves from the possible destruction caused due to this natural calamity.

However, earthquakes aren’t always severe and destructive. At times, these are small and mild. Sometimes, these are so mild that people do not even get to know that these have occurred. However, even at the slightest of tremors, it is suggested to evacuate the buildings and come out in an open area to ensure safety.

Essay on Earthquake in 300 words

Earthquakes and volcanoes are two natural calamities that occur due to the changes in the surface of Earth. Man has little or just no role in bringing about these natural disasters. Earthquakes and volcanoes are said to be interrelated. It has been observed that volcanic regions are more prone to earthquakes that often serve as a warning sign of an impending volcano.

Earthquake is basically the shaking of the Earth. Earthquakes either occur due to the movement of tectonic plates under the Earth’s surface or because of the movement of magma in volcanoes. The ones caused due to magma movements may be followed by volcanic eruptions. Earthquakes can be weak as well as violent. While the weak volcanoes are hardly felt, the violent ones can result in the devastation of big buildings and huge loss of life. Numerous earthquakes have occurred in different parts of the world causing severe destructions.

Volcano is the eruption of hot lava from the surface of Earth. It occurs when the Earth’s crust ruptures. Hot lava, poisonous gases and volcanic ash come out by way of volcanic eruptions and can cause vast destruction. Different types of volcanoes include super volcanoes, sub-glacial volcanoes, underwater volcanoes and mud volcanoes.

What is Volcanic Earthquake?

Volcanic earthquake also known as volcano tectonic earthquake is caused due to the movement of magma. This movement exerts pressure and causes changes in the rock around the magma and this eventually leads to volcanic earthquake. These earthquakes are known to cause major destruction that may include ground deformation, uprooting of buildings and ground cracks.

Both earthquakes and volcanoes may result in severe loss for the mankind. While scientists try their best to predict both of these, they haven’t been successful in determining the time and date for these natural disasters. People living in earthquake and volcano prone areas must stay vigilant and be prepared to face these and should act calmly and wisely if such a problem occurs.

Essay on Earthquake in 400 words

Earthquakes are caused due to the movement of magnum or tectonic plates under the Earth’s surface. They may vary in severity, time and other factors. Earthquakes have been classified into various categories. The effect they cause varies based on their type.

Types of Earthquake

There are different types of earthquakes that have been experienced on our planet. Here is a look at the main types of earthquakes:

Tectonic Earthquake

A tectonic earthquake is an outcome of the breakage of Earth’s crust because of exertion of pressure on rocks and tectonic plates.

This is often a mild earthquake that takes place in the same area that has been hit by a severe earthquake few hours, days or weeks before.

A small earthquake that takes place before a severe earthquake is referred to as a foreshock.

Explosion Earthquake

This type of earthquake occurs because of explosion of a chemical and nuclear device.

Volcanic Earthquake

It is an earthquake that occurs due to the combination of tectonic forces and volcanic activities.

Collapse Earthquake

This type of earthquake is caused due to the explosion of rocks. These are generally mild earthquakes that occur due to mining activities.

Submarine Earthquake

It is an earthquake that takes place underwater particularly at the bottom of an ocean. It is commonly referred to as Tsunami.

Causes of Earthquake

An earthquake basically is an outcome of the movements of tectonic plates beneath the Earth’s surface. However, these are also caused due to certain other reasons. These are mostly natural reasons however sometimes these can even be man-made. Given below are the various causes of earthquakes:

Volcanic Eruptions

Volcanic eruptions are a common cause of earthquake. Areas that are faced with frequent volcanic activities are more prone to earthquakes.

Geological Fault

It occurs because of the displacement of plates from their original position. As the rocks move alongside these planes, it brings about tectonic earthquakes.

Human Activities

Man is known to influence various natural activities and earthquakes are no exception. Nuclear bombing, building of dams and mining are few such human activities that can cause earthquake.

Effects of Earthquake

Mild earthquakes are harmless however the violent ones can cause mass destruction. Numerous lives are lost, several people are injured and many houses and other buildings are devastated during this natural calamity.

Earthquake is a dangerous natural calamity that has caused huge damage in various parts of the world. It cannot be avoided as the scientists are not able to predict its occurrence accurately.

Also Read: Speech on Earthquake in simple and easy words

Essay on Earthquake in 500 words

Earthquake is a natural calamity which is capable of causing vast destruction and there is no way to stop it from occurring. Our planet has been hit by a number of strong earthquakes of different magnitudes that have led to the loss of many innocent lives and heavy damage to the property. A need for disaster management for earthquake was felt owing to the huge and frequent damage they had been causing around the world.

Earthquake Management

The seismic department studies earthquakes. The department monitors the environment and the activities that occurs under the Earth’s surface in an attempt to predict earthquakes and their severity. However, it has largely failed in predicting the exact date and time of occurrence of the earthquake.

Since it is almost impossible to forecast and avoid the occurrence of earthquakes, we must prepare ourselves to lower the losses caused by these. Japan for instance is highly prone to earthquakes. However, their preparedness to handle this natural calamity ensures little or no damage to property and life in the country.

The recent earthquakes that jolted India have shown how under-prepared we are to handle this natural calamity. A need to build an environment which is earthquake resistant has been felt. Though, this cannot be full proof however efforts in this direction can certainly help bring down the magnitude of losses.

Extensive research is going on in this direction. Builders are being encouraged to build earthquake resistant structures. Special degree in Earthquake Engineering is being imparted to prepare our future generations to tackle this natural disaster smartly. Structural Earthquake Engineering, Geo-technical Earthquake Engineering, Remote Sensing and Seismology are the fields that are being explored and taught.

Do not Panic during an Earthquake

It is but natural to panic during any difficult situation however doing so only worsens the problem. We must thus not panic during earthquake. We should rather act wisely. Here are few things you can do to lower the possibility of disaster:

Come out of your house/ office/ shop and gather in an open place.
Do not use elevator. Take the stairs to go down.
Make sure you are at a safe place as you come out and not somewhere where there is a possibility of falling objects or collapsing building.
Get under a table or bed if you cannot move out.
Stay calm and don’t indulge in negative talks.
Help those caught inside or in need if you can.

Earthquake: Precautions to be taken

People living in earthquake prone areas must stay alert and prepared to handle this natural disaster at all times. Here are certain things that they must keep handy:

Necessary medicines
Canned packaged food
Camp stoves that can be installed outdoors
Enough drinking water
Sanitation stock
Cash/ Debit card/ Credit Card
Important Certificates/ documents

It is a good idea to prepare a bag that can be carried easily in case of emergency.

The government must take measures to ensure the destruction caused by this natural calamity is lowered. In case of a severe earthquake, the government must take measures to help people who lose their houses and other important belongings. The government must be prepared to handle such an emergency situation efficiently so that people do not suffer further.

Essay on Earthquake in 600 words

Earthquakes occur when the tectonic plates shift and climb over one another. This leads to mountain building referred to as orogeny which is the cause of severe earthquakes. Thus, the tectonic plates that lie under the surface of Earth are responsible for this natural calamity. Just like many other parts of the world, India has also experienced numerous earthquakes in different areas. While some of these have caused serious destruction others have largely gone unnoticed.

Major Earthquakes in India

Our country has suffered from some major earthquakes in the past that have led to severe damage and immense panic among people. Some of the major earthquakes experienced in India are as follows:

The Hindu Kush Earthquake (26 October 2015) : This was a magnitude 7.5 earthquake that caused vast destruction in South Asia. Jammu and Kashmir in India was jolted by this quake and tremors were felt in many other parts of Northern India. With its epicentre in Afghanistan, the quake caused tremendous destruction in the country as well as in its neighbouring country Pakistan. Statistics reveal that 399 people lost their lives and as many as 2539 were injured during this earthquake.

The May 2015 Nepal Earthquake : Yet another severe earthquake in Nepal that led to havoc in India too as strong tremors were felt in various parts of our country including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Delhi. With its epicentre in Dolakha and Sindhupal Chowk, Nepal it was a 7.3 magnitude earthquake. Considered to be an aftermath of the April 2015 earthquake, it took away 218 lives and injured more than 3200 people.

The April 2015 Nepal Earthquake : This is said to be one of the major earthquakes that has ever occurred in the recent times. It was a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. The epicentre of this earthquake was Gorkha District in Nepal however strong tremors were felt in various parts of India too. It led to the devastation of many buildings and took as many as 9,000 lives. 22,000 people were injured during the event.

Bhuj Earthquake (26 January 2001): This was one of the most devastating natural calamities that ever hit our country. The earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 lasted for more than 2 minutes and wrecked havoc on the beautiful Indian state of Gujarat. Numerous buildings were devastated as a result of this earthquake. It killed around 20,000 people and injured as many as 167,000 people.

The Latur Earthquake (30 September 1993): The Latur earthquake hit the Indian state of Maharashtra. This 6.2 magnitude earthquake mainly affected the districts of Latur and Osmanabad. It demolished as many as 52 villages in Maharashtra and killed around 10,000 people. As many as 30,000 people were injured during the event.

Uttarkashi Earthquake (2 nd October 1991): The earthquake with a 6.8 magnitude hit Gharwal and Uttarkashi in Uttrakhand. Strong tremors were felt in these two regions and various other parts of Uttar Pradesh. It caused mass destruction. Numerous buildings were wrecked during the event. More than 700 people lost their lives and numerous others became homeless.

Earthquake Prone Areas in India

Almost every part of India has been hit by earthquake at some point or the other. While some areas in the country are highly prone to earthquakes others stand a low chance of being hit by them. Some of the earthquake prone areas in the country include Srinagar, Mumbai, Delhi, Guwahati, Pune, Kolkata, Chennai, Patna, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. All these regions have felt strong tremors of earthquake in the past and stand a high chance of experiencing the same in future as well.

India has seen major destruction due to earthquakes. Many buildings have been damaged and several people have lost their lives due to this natural calamity. We wish and pray to God that such strong tremors don’t occur in future.

Essay on Earthquake in 800 words

An earthquake is a tremor that is produced when two surfaces of earth, underneath the surface, slip against each other and release seismic waves. Thus, an earthquake implies a sudden release of energy from within the earth, which takes the form of tremors, generally called earthquake. World over, around fifty thousand earthquakes occur annually, but only about hundred of them are potentially dangerous. Little was understood about them until the 20 th century, when Seismology was introduced as a study of earthquakes. In the following essay we will go through the causes, effects and facts about earthquakes.

Causes of Earthquakes

Earthquakes are caused by the movement or breaking of rocks underneath the surface of earth. Under earth’s surface layers of rocks stay connected to each other. The rocks or plates push each other continuously, but doesn’t move as the forces balance each other.

However, if the rocks break or layers move against each other, seismic waves are produced which reach the surface in form of tremors known as earthquake. Hence earthquake is felt as long as the rocks are rubbing against each other and ceases as soon as the rocks get stuck again. In seismic language, the point immediately below where the rocks break is called the focus and the point immediately above is called the epicenter.

Measurement

The severity of an earthquake is measured in Richter scale. A strong earthquake has a high value on Richter scale while a low earthquake has a lower value.

An earthquake which measures 6 to 7 on Richter scale is potentially damaging to life and property, while the effects of earthquake measuring 4 to 5 on Richter scale could result only in mild tremors or a little structural damage.

There are many effects of earthquake and may include the following; though, they are not limited to the effects mentioned here below-

1) Tremors or Shaking

Shaking of ground is the first effect of earthquake and is also the most damaging one. The severity of shaking; however, depends on the magnitude of earthquake and the distance of the place from the epicenter. An earthquake measuring around 6 or above on Richter scale has an ability to destroy even the most strongest of buildings, depending on their proximity to the epicenter.

2) Ground Rupture

Sometimes, an earthquake measuring high on Richter scale could cause visible rupture in the ground along the fault line. Sometimes, when the earthquake is potentially high on Richter scale, a ground rupture measuring several meters deep and several kilometers long, may result. Such ground ruptures are considerably harmful to significant structures like dams, nuclear power stations and bridges.

Earthquakes can cause forest fires, as tremors force the trees to rub each other, thereby generating heat and sparks. There have been forest fires recorded after earthquakes. Moreover, an earthquake can cause fire in urban areas also, by rupturing electrical lines and damaging electrical protection systems.

4) Landslides

Landslides are the most common aftereffects of earthquake in hilly areas. Shaking of earth displaces the soil on sloppy hills, resulting in a landslide. The landslides sometimes could be potentially more dangerous than the earthquake itself, as they contain debris like trees and rocks, and have a high potential to damage life and property.

Tsunami is the most severe and frightening aftereffect of earthquake. Tsunami is caused when the epicenter of an earthquake lies under the ocean surface. An earthquake in the sea bed results in waves those are not more than a ripple over the epicenter, but as they travel towards the shore, they get bigger, faster and stronger. A wave only measuring 1 meter above the epicenter could measure 100 meters at the shores, resulting in huge loss of life and tremendous damage to the property.

What to do in an Earthquake?

Though the science of studying earthquake has developed significantly, and today it’s possible to forecast an earthquake, even then it might not be possible in every place and situation. Below given are some of the safety precautions you could take when caught in a situation, to save yourself and family from harm.

Situation 1 – Outdoors

If you are outdoors and sense an earthquake, move away from buildings, poles, trees as fast as you can. The greatest danger is immediately outside of a building and near boundaries. When caught outside in an earthquake it’s wise to stand still on a clear ground, away from any structure that could fall upon you.

Situation 2 – Indoors

If you are caught in an earthquake inside a building, the best option for you would be to find some sturdy and strong table or bed and lie down below it, ducking your head under your arms. Stay put in this position until the tremor ceases or help arrives.

Situation 3 – Driving a Vehicle

If you are driving and sense an earthquake, then move as fast as possible from buildings and other high structures and stay inside the vehicle. Even after earthquake, proceed cautiously and avoid bridges if possible, as the tremors might have damaged them.

Earthquakes are a natural phenomenon and despite our knowledge on them, we cannot stop them from occurring; nevertheless, we can always act wisely when caught in the situation, saving our life as well as life of others.

Essay on Earthquake FAQs

What is called an earthquake.

An earthquake is the shaking of the ground caused by sudden movements in Earth's crust.

What makes an earthquake?

Earthquakes happen when the Earth's plates suddenly move or slide past each other, releasing energy that causes the ground to shake.

What is the topic of an earthquake?

The topic of an earthquake revolves around the shaking and vibrations in the Earth's surface caused by geological movements.

What is the meaning of earthquake in English?

Earthquake in English refers to the shaking or trembling of the ground due to geological forces.

What is the introduction of an earthquake?

An earthquake introduction would cover the basics: how it occurs due to tectonic plate movements, causing shaking or trembling of the ground.

How do you write an earthquake essay?

To write an earthquake essay, start with an introduction explaining what an earthquake is, discuss its causes, effects, and safety measures, and conclude with preventive measures.

What is an earthquake in 150 words?

An earthquake is a sudden shaking of the Earth's surface caused by movements in the Earth's crust. These movements release energy, creating seismic waves that make the ground shake, potentially causing damage to structures and landscapes. Safety measures and preparedness are crucial to mitigate the impact of earthquakes.

Essay On Earthquake For Kids – 10 Lines, Short And Long Essay

Key Points To Remember When Writing An Essay On Earthquake For Lower Primary Classes

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Essay writing is a vital skill to be acquired by children, requiring them to research topics to increase their knowledge. Essay writing also improves their communication skills. Earthquakes are a natural disaster that most students are familiar with. Writing an essay on earthquakes in English allows them to know many things like why earthquakes happen, how are they measured on the Richter scale, and most importantly, their after-effects. Some earthquakes have been so disastrous that they have caused considerable losses to life and property. Below are some points that will help your kid write a good essay on earthquakes for classes 1, 2 and 3 kids.

Earthquake is an excellent essay topic because it teaches children about various geographical elements. However, specific considerations should be made when writing an earthquake essay in English, such as:

Begin with an introductory paragraph that provides general information about earthquakes, such as what they are and what causes them.
The body should be divided into paragraphs, each focusing on a different aspect. You can include information such as types of earthquakes. its causes, and effects.
Conclude the essay with a final paragraph that summarises the entire essay in a few lines.

An essay on earthquakes is a very interesting topic for kids as it increases their knowledge and makes children aware of the world around them. The following 10 lines on earthquakes can guide students as to how to write clear sentences and make a good essay for classes 1 and 2:

An earthquake is a natural disaster.
They occur when some tricks move under the Earth’s surface, causing vibrations or seismic waves.
Due to this, we can feel the entire ground shaking below our feet. This can cause buildings, trees and other tall structures to break and fall.
The strength or intensity of an earthquake is called its magnitude and it is measured on the Richter scale from 1 to 10.
Earthquakes can be measured using a seismograph.
Earthquakes of 6 or 7 magnitude are very strong and can cause massive loss of life and property.
The exact spot where an earthquake originates is called its epicentre. This place faces the maximum effect of the disaster.
People living in earthquake-prone areas must always be prepared to face the danger and have a disaster management strategy as it is difficult to predict an earthquake.
The best way to ensure safety during an earthquake is to run to open fields.
If there is no open space nearby, you can duck under a strong and sturdy table.

Short paragraphs on earthquakes help students to weave their essays around them. They guide the children on how to form sentences. A short paragraph on earthquakes is given below for the reference of the kids:

Earthquakes are caused by the shaking of the earth, which occurs when two of the earth’s tectonic plates slide over each other. These can be caused by natural factors such as volcanic eruptions or man-made factors such as mining or the construction of various structures. Some earthquakes have little or no effect, while others cause widespread devastation. There have been numerous earthquakes in the past that have resulted in significant loss of life and property. During an earthquake, it is recommended that we run out of our home and move to an open and safe location. We cannot predict earthquakes, but we can ensure safety with proper precautions.

Learning how to write a short essay on natural disasters like an earthquake helps students gain awareness of various geographical phenomena and enhances their knowledge. Since earthquakes are a common phenomenon, knowing about them is crucial. Given below is an example of a short essay for classes 1, 2 and 3:

An earthquake is a natural disaster which is caused by the shaking of the earth. The main reason for this is the movement of tectonic plates. Tectonic plates are fragments of the earth’s surface plates that float in the core. When these plates begin to drift away from each other or begin to slide towards each other, tremors occur, resulting in earthquakes. An earthquake can also be induced by a volcanic eruption or man-made factors such as mining and the construction of concrete structures. It can also cause fires, tsunamis, and other natural disasters.

Areas closer to the continental shelf, such as Mumbai, Srinagar, Kolkata, and Chennai, are more vulnerable to earthquakes. The impact of an earthquake on a location is determined by how far it is from the epicentre. The magnitude of an earthquake is measured on the Richter scale. Higher magnitude events are less common but cause more damage to people and property.

Earthquakes sometimes cause a huge loss of life and property, making it essential for children to learn about them. Writing an essay on earthquakes makes them aware of its causes, effects and even precautions that one should take. Given below is a long essay for class 3 that can help students learn more about this natural calamity:

What Is An Earthquake?

An earthquake is the movement within the earth’s crust due to the sudden release of energy from the earth’s interior. It results in massive loss of lives and affects that area’s infrastructure. The damage caused depends on the intensity of the earthquake.

What Are The Types Of Earthquakes?

Earthquakes can be categorised into four types based on the cause of occurrence:

Tectonic Earthquakes: These earthquakes occur when the floating tectonic plates on the earth’s core either move away from each other or slip towards each other, causing friction. As a result, pressure from the ground is released, causing tremors.
Volcanic Earthquakes: Volcanic eruptions cause these earthquakes. Magma movement causes pressure and changes in the rock surrounding the magma, resulting in earthquakes.
Collapse Earthquakes: These are low-intensity earthquakes caused primarily by mining. Underground blasts in mines are a major cause of mine collapse, resulting in collapse earthquakes.
Explosive Earthquakes: These earthquakes are typically caused by explosions caused by nuclear bomb testing.

What Are The Causes Of Earthquakes?

An earthquake is a natural disaster; hence, it is generally caused naturally. However, there are undoubtedly other reasons too that can cause earthquakes like:

Volcanic Eruptions: Volcanic earthquakes are the result of volcanic eruptions. It’s a common cause of earthquakes, and areas with active volcanos are more vulnerable to such earthquakes.
Human Activities: Natural and man-made activities can both cause earthquakes. Human activities that can cause earthquakes include the construction of concrete structures, mining, and nuclear bombing.
Geological Factors: These occur when tectonic plates shift away from their original position, causing friction and, as a result, earthquakes.

What Are The Effects Of Earthquakes?

An earthquake has numerous effects, such as:

Death and property destruction is one of the effects of an earthquake. On the other hand, the magnitude of the destruction is determined by the magnitude of the earthquake and its distance from the epicentre.
Earthquakes can also spark fires in electric and gas pipelines, resulting in huge losses.
Tsunamis are sometimes caused by an earthquake, causing even more damage to people and property.
Earthquakes can also cause large structures and monuments to collapse, causing irreparable damage.
Landslides are another significant impact of earthquakes. Landslides, which result in the fall of large rocks, are common in hilly areas. They can also cause traffic congestion.

Precautions To Be Taken During An Earthquake

Even though earthquakes are not predictable, there are certain precautions that we can take to lessen their impact, such as:

Avoid enclosed spaces: Get out of your building as soon as you feel a tremor and find an open space.
Avoid using the lift: It is always advisable to avoid using the lift while evacuating the building during an earthquake because it can be dangerous.
Avoid trees and lampposts: If you’re driving, never park your car and stand beneath a tree or a lamppost because the earthquake could cause it to fall.
If you cannot move, try crouching beneath a sturdy table or bed to protect yourself from falling objects.

This earthquake essay will give your child a general understanding of the subject while also making them aware of their surroundings. It will also help kids learn about the precautions to take during an earthquake, so they know what they should to if it happens again.

Some of the interesting facts about earthquakes for children are:

Earthquakes can occur for natural or man-made reasons.
An earthquake cannot be predicted in advance.
Seismology is the study of earthquakes. The Richter scale is a device used to measure earthquake intensity.
The greater the intensity on the Richter scale, the more severe the damage.
Earthquakes can be so devastating that they can cripple an entire economy.

1. Can We Forecast Earthquakes?

No. No such technology has allowed seismologists to predict an earthquake in advance.

2. How Is Earthquake Measures?

The intensity of an earthquake is measured on a Richter scale.

3. Which Are The Earthquake Prone Areas In India?

Several earthquake-prone areas in India include Srinagar, Mumbai, Patna, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Pune, Kochi, and Thiruvananthapuram.

Earthquakes are major natural disasters that have caused irreparable damage in the past and will do so in the future. We cannot prevent them, but we can aim to mitigate their effects with proper precautions.

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Earthquakes

Class 9 - veena bhargava geography solutions, answer the following questions.

Describe the distribution of Earthquakes in the world.

The distributional pattern of earthquakes shows that there are three major belts in the world in which the earthquakes frequently occur. These earthquake belts are:

The Circum-Pacific Belt (Convergent Plate Boundaries) — It extends in west from Alaska to Kurile, Japan, Mariana and the Philippine trenches. Its one branch goes towards the Indonesian trench and the other goes towards the Kermadec-Tonga trench to the north-west of New Zealand. On the eastern side of the Pacific the earthquake zone follows the west coast of North America and continues southward along Pem and Chile trench on the west coast of South America.
The Mid-Atlantic Belt (Divergent Plate Boundaries) — This belt of earthquakes extends along the mid-oceanic ridges and several islands near the ridges of Atlantic Ocean. Earthquakes of moderate to mild intensity with shallow focus are recorded in this belt. The Rift Valley of East Africa and the Red Sea are considered as an extension of this belt.
The Mid-Continental Belt — This belt extends along the Alpine mountain system of Europe, Rocky mountains in North America, through Asia Minor, Caucasia, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the Himalayan mountain system including Tibet, the Pamir, Tien-Shan, Altai and the mountains of China, Myanmar and eastern Siberia. This zone is characterised by larger earthquakes of shallow origin and some of intermediate origin.

Name the instrument used to measure an earthquake.

The instrument used to measure an earthquake is Seismograph or Seismometer.

Give some examples of earthquakes of the world.

Some examples of earthquakes of the world are:

May 31, 1970 in Northern Peru
January 26, 2001 in Gujarat, India
July 28, 1976 in Tangshan (China)
December 26, 2004 in South Asia, off the West Coast of Sumatra, Indonesia

What is meant by Richter Scale?

Richter scale is an open-ended, logarithmic scale that estimates earthquake magnitude, designed by Charles Richter in 1935.

This scale can be related to the energy released at the earthquake centre and thus can be used as an estimate of the severity of a particular earthquake.

What is an Earthquake?

An earthquake can be defined as a shock or series of shocks due to a sudden movement of crustal rocks generated at a point known as seismic focus within the crust or the mantle. It is a violent tremor or shaking of part of earth crust.

What is meant by epicentre?

The point of earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake is called epicentre. The intensity of earthquake is maximum at epicentre and it goes on decreasing as the distance from epicentre increases.

What is Seismograph used for?

A seismograph is a device that measures seismic waves of the energy transmitted throughout the earth's interior.

State any two causes of earthquakes.

The two main causes of earthquakes are:

Volcanic eruptions — Volcanic earthquakes are caused by gas explosions. They occur either simultaneously with eruption or more commonly in the period preceding an eruption. For example - Krakatoa volcano caused a severe earthquake that its impact was experienced at Cape Horn (12,800 km away).
Plate Tectonics — Tectonic plates move and slide over each other and their edges produce faults along the line of weakness. This movement of plates causes earthquakes. For example - In 2001, a severe earthquake occurred in Bhuj, Gujarat in India because of the lowering of the Indian plate below the Asiatic plate.

Mention any two destructive effects of earthquakes.

Two destructive effects of earthquakes are:

Building Collapse — The earthquakes of high intensity lead to collapse of buildings. People can be trapped under the rubble. There is loss of lives and properties.
Landslides — Earthquake causes landslides in hilly areas or liquefaction of soils resulting in damage of properties and loss of lives and disturb the transport system. This occurs due to liquefaction of soils.

Question 10

Mention two constructive effects of earthquakes.

Two constructive effects of earthquakes are:

Earthquakes may result in fissure opening causing a Geyser or hot spring which are useful from medicinal point of view as it contain sulphur.
Sometimes earthquakes result in formation of coastal submergence and changing the coastal forms, forming bays and may prove to be helpful in navigation.

Question 11

What is a Tsunami?

The seismic waves travelling through the ocean resulting in long wavelength shallow water wave caused by rapid displacement of water is called Tsunami. Its velocity can reach 800 km per hour. It causes massive destruction and flood in coastal areas.

Explain the following terms

A fracture in a rock along which there has been an observable amount of displacement is known as fault. Earthquakes occur when the movement of the Earth takes place along a line of fracture or faults. The San Andreas Fault of California is a typical example which led to earthquakes in 1906.

Seismic Focus

Seismic Focus refers to the exact point inside the Earth's crust from where the shock or sudden movement of earthquake is generated.

Flash Floods

Due to impact of severe earthquake, the dams and embankments develop fissures which become the cause of sudden floods known as flash floods. They cause severe loss of life and property.

A landslide is defined as the movement of a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a slope. Earthquake causes landslides in hilly areas resulting in damage of properties and loss of lives.

Give a reason for the following statements

Most earthquakes are caused by tectonic movements.

Most earthquakes are caused by tectonic movements because the tectonic plates are in continuous slow motion. There is friction on their edges due to which they are stuck. Whenever there is change in the pressure exerted by them, a sudden movement or overlapping of plates occur resulting in earthquakes. Faults & folds are formed when the plates collide with each other or diverge or slide apart, the energy inside the earth crust is released in the form of vibration or earthquake along the fault line.

Earthquake is associated with volcanism.

Vibration or earthquake may happen due to large scale gaseous explosion during the volcanic eruption. Therefore, earthquakes are associated with volcanism.

Earthquake can be proved to be helpful for Navigation.

Sometimes earthquakes result in the formation of coastal submergence and changing the coastal forms, forming bays. This may prove to be helpful for Navigation. Also, by studying the seismic waves generated by earthquakes, scientists have been able to create detailed maps of the ocean floor. These maps help to create accurate navigational charts for ships and submarines.

Japan is an earthquake and Tsunami prone area.

Japan is situated at the intersection of four tectonic plates, the North American Plate, the Eurasian Plate, the Pacific Plate, and the Philippine Plate. The country sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire which is characterized by high volcanic and seismic activity. Due to these reasons, Japan is an earthquake and Tsunami prone area.

Choose the correct option

The science of earthquake is known as

The magnitude of an earthquake is measured by

Mercelli scale
Seismograph

Richter scale

None of the above

Which of the following statements related to earthquake focus is not true?

It is situated on the surface of the earth & from here the earthquake waves spread horizontally on the earth surface.
It is the point of origin of earthquake wave.
It is situated below the earths crust
Effect of earthquake will be greater if focus is situated near the surface

it is situated on the surface of the earth & from here the earthquake waves spread horizontally on the earth surface.

Which of the following plates were responsible for Nepal earthquake on 25th April, 2015?

Pacific plate & Indian Plate
Nazka Plate & Eurasian Plate

Indo- Australian & Eurasian Plate

Eurasian & Pacific Plate

What is the name of this instrument?

Seismometer

Electrometer

Which of the following is not a cause of earthquake?

Folding & faulting
Deep underground mining

Earthquake Lesson Summary Notes and Explanation in English Class 9th

Back to: Karnataka Board Class 9th Notes & Solutions

Table of Contents

Introduction

A sweet and heart-warming tale of kindness and humility. After losing his everything in a tragic earthquake, this young boy finds a rather remarkable way of thanking a stranger who once helped him.

Brij from Molthi

The chapter begins with a tea seller greeting a tired and cold traveller. He assumes the traveller is perhaps a pilgrim waiting for a bus to Badrinath, or is visiting the Valley of Flowers, Uttarakhand. The tea-seller does not mind who the traveller is and invites him to his tea stall which is close-by. He tells the traveller that while he prepares the best tea in Garhwal, the traveller can warm himself. The seller is confident that his tea will refresh the traveller.

The tea shop is a very small, modest shop with a shaky bench, but it will hold the traveller’s weight. The tea-seller is a very chatty person and continues to introduce himself. He tells his name is Brij and he is 17-years-old. Brij used to work at a roadside shop outside Panipat but the heat, pollution and crowd became unbearable so he saved money and came back to open his own shop. It has been two years since he opened this shop. It appears as though the traveller has also engaged in conversation and asked about Brij’s village.

Brij reveals that he was from a village called Molthi. Four years ago, one fateful October night, an earthquake seized the Himalayan valley. Although the villagers were accustomed to tremors, this was no ordinary tremor. There were six hundred and seventy villages in the valley, the 5 minutes long earthquake destroyed six hundred and two of them. Hundreds of lives were lost and homes were turned into nothing but rubble.

As luck had it, Brij was not in Molthi that night. He had gone to Pauri, to buy school books and was staying at his uncle’s place. Pauri too felt the heavy tremors throughout the night, but survived them, unlike Molthi.

The Rescue Mission

Those who survived, were burdened with what they witnessed the following morning. Everything was destroyed, all their homes and villages flattened. The army rescue teams worked tirelessly to make path to reach the villages. Four days later, Molthi was able to receive help. Brij and his uncle were among the first to reach the village. Brij recalls that day, even after knowing about the calamity, he said that nothing had prepared him for the sight he saw.

His house, the same 2 storeyed house that his great grandfather had built was gone. He shares about his family, fourteen months ago his father passed away after an illness. His mother looked after the family. He had a 10-years-old brother, Nilu and his 2-years-old baby sister Bhuli. He was the eldest. His grandmother too lived with them.

His uncle led him away when the soldiers began clearing the debris. He was too dazed to comprehend everything and lost track of time. Day turned into evening and he was asked to perform the cremation rituals. He couldn’t come to terms with the fact that they were indeed gone. He still remembered their smiling faces, the last time he saw them waving him goodbye. Then, it struck him, Bhuli? Where was his baby sister?

He ran back to their house, or what was now left of it. He searched and cried for Bhuli. He was crying when a voice spoke. It was an Army officer, he was the relief supervisor. The officer told him that there was no one here now. Brij explained that he was looking for his sister to give her a proper cremation. Brij knew, what he was asking for was difficult. He could see how tired the officer was. The officer looked like he had not slept for days, his uniform dirty and face dusty, but Brij found his eyes kind.

The officer explained that his men had been working for days now and had rescued everyone they could, this was just a stop for them and they had many more villages to aid. While the rows of pyres burned, Brij laid on the ruins of his house and cried. A few minutes later three officers along with the supervisor came and started shovelling the debris, they worked throughout the night with lamps.

The Survivor

Two hours passed and then, in the middle of a hollow they found Bhuli. She was alive. It was a miracle. She had been buried under the debris for a hundred and sixteen hours. She survived the earthquake, the cold nights and the wild animals. A soldier wrapped her in a warm blanket and took her to the makeshift hospital.

The next day when Brij went to thank the officer, he found that the officer had left. Without the officer’s name or address, Brij only hoped that someday fate would make them meet again. Their lives turned somewhat normal again. Brij would try to find the officer in every army man he saw. One day he found him.

It was a late winter night and a truck stopped at the shop Brij worked at. A familiar looking man stepped out. However, on looking closely Brij realised he was not the officer. The tired man ordered a cup of tea and when Brij served him the tea, he felt a sense of lightness and joy. Brij did not accept money from the man.

The next day too, the same thing happened. It became a routine for Brij. Everyday he would meet a tired traveller who reminded him of the officer, and every time he served them tea, he felt joyous. He never let them pay.

A month later Brij quit his job and started his own tea shop to continue his purpose. He says that he is very peaceful now. Brij does not let the traveller pay for the cup of tea. The traveller’s bus arrives and Brij bids him farewell and wishes him a safe journey.

Brij came from a very humble family and yet he had a very rich heart. Many of us don’t thank our near and dear ones, and this guy went to great lengths to express his gratitude to a complete stranger. Although unable to find the officer, Brij did not give up, instead he started a new mission, to pass on kindness. Brij did not just serve a cup of tea, it was a cup of kindness.

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What is an Earthquake?

Types of Earthquake

Tectonic Earthquake

Volcanic Earthquake

Collapse Earthquake

Explosive Earthquake

Effects of Earthquake

Examples of Devastating Earthquake

FAQs on Earthquake Essay

Protection Against Earthquake

What is an Earthquake?

What Causes an Earthquake?

Delve Deeper into the Causes of Earthquakes

What to do During an Earthquake?

Before the Earthquake

During the Earthquake

After the Earthquake

Enhancing Preparedness with Disaster Management

What are the Effects of an Earthquake?

Understanding Seismograph and the Richter scale

Seismograph

Richter scale

Difference Between Seismograph and Richter scale

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs

What causes an earthquake?

What should I do during an earthquake?

What should I do before an earthquake?

What is the difference between a seismograph and the Richter scale?

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