What is an Earthquake Introduction to Earthquakes & Tsunamis Turn on the TV or read the newspapers and almost always there is something devastating happening somewhere as a result of sheer nature's power. Examples of such natural occurrences are hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, flooding, earthquakes and tsunamis. These are usually not caused directly by humans, but their effects live with us for a long time. In this lesson we shall look at one of such natural occurrences...earthquakes! What is an Earthquake? Simply, earthquakes are the rumblings, shaking or rolling of the earth's surface. Earthquakes come in many forms. Foreshocks, Mainshocks and Aftershocks: Sometimes, there are smaller shocks that occur before (foreshock) and after (aftershock) a main earthquake (mainshock). Earthquakes are also called temblors. It is important to understand the earth’s makeup to help understand earthquakes better. The Mantle is semi-molten rock, also called magma.
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake.[5][6] The resulting tsunami was given various names, including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, South Asian tsunami, Indonesian tsunami, the Christmas tsunami and the Boxing Day tsunami.[7] The earthquake was caused when the Indian Plate was subducted by the Burma Plate and triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing over 230,000 people in fourteen countries, and inundating coastal communities with waves up to 30 meters (100 ft) high.[8] It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. With a magnitude of Mw 9.1–9.3, it is the third largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph. Earthquake characteristics Tectonic plates
Why Was the Destruction So Severe? | Inside Disaster: Haiti Six weeks after the Haiti shock, Chile was struck by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake. It was 500 times more powerful than the Haiti quake, yet killed less than 1% of the Haitian total. In this section, we explore answers to the question: why was the Haiti earthquake so destructive? This Flash piece is 525 x 372. <script type="text/javascript"> var file="destruction_slideshow.swf"; var width = 525; var height = 372; </script><script type="text/javascript" src=" Too wide? Click on images below to launch related videos. Building Codes “The poverty in Haiti lends itself to people building where they want, how they can … not everybody’s going to be able to build to the exacting standards that a building code requires.” Unlike in other countries located on or near fault lines, very few of Haiti’s buildings were constructed for earthquake resistance. Construction Materials “Better buildings would have saved lives.” Fault Lines Learn More
List of historic tsunamis This article lists notable historical tsunamis, which are sorted by the date and location that the tsunami occurred, the earthquake that generated it, or both. Because of seismic and volcanic activity tectonic plate boundaries along the Pacific Ring of Fire, tsunamis occur most frequently in the Pacific Ocean, but are worldwide natural phenomena. They are possible wherever large bodies of water are found, including inland lakes, where they can be caused by landslides and glacier calving. Very small tsunamis, non-destructive and undetectable without specialized equipment, occur frequently as a result of minor earthquakes and other events. As early as 426 BC, the Greek historian Thucydides inquired in his book History of the Peloponnesian War (3.89.1–6) about the causes of tsunamis. Prehistoric[edit] ≈~6225-6170 BC: Norwegian Sea[edit] The Storegga Slides occurred 100 km north-west of the Møre coast in the Norwegian Sea, causing a very large tsunami in the North Atlantic Ocean. 1700s[edit]
Funds to help Japan tsunami victims find work spent in unaffected areas | World news More than ¥100bn (£650m) of a special budget set up to help victims of Japan's March 2011 triple disaster find work has been spent on projects that have no connection to the tragedy, including cheese and wine promotions. Tens of billions of yen earmarked for employment schemes was spent on a range of initiatives located far from the tsunami-hit region, such as counting sea turtles, publishing a restaurant guide and publicising a mascot for a local prefecture, a Japanese newspaper said. The evidence of wasteful public spending, uncovered by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, will come as an embarrassment to the government, months after it was revealed that a quarter of the ¥11.7tn the government initially allocated to rebuild the region had been spent on other unrelated projects. The Asahi found that ¥108.5bn of the ¥200bn employment budget had been spent in 38 prefectures other than the nine that were affected by the 11 March disaster, in which more than 18,000 people died.
Two years later, Japan seethes at tsunami recovery An elderly man sits as he and with his wife (not pictured) visit a cemetery to pay respects to their son who was killed in the March 2011 tsunami, in Minamisoma in Fukushima prefecture on March 11, 2013. Getty Images TOKYO Amid growing dissatisfaction with the slow pace of recovery, Japan marked the second anniversary Monday of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that left nearly 19,000 people dead or missing and has displaced more than 300,000. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that the government intends to make "visible" reconstruction progress and accelerate resettlement of those left homeless by streamlining legal and administrative procedures many blame for the delays. "I pray that the peaceful lives of those affected can resume as soon as possible," Emperor Akihito said at a somber memorial service at Tokyo's National Theater. About half of those displaced are evacuees from areas near the nuclear plant. "We cannot turn away from the harsh reality of the affected areas.
“Black Tsunami”: Interview with James Whitlow Delano about Documenting the Devastation of the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami Eric’s Note: I am honored to share this interview with James Whitlow Delano, a talented photojournalist whose work has been awarded intentionally, including the Alfred Eisenstadt Award (from Columbia University and Life Magazine), Leica’s Oskar Barnack, Picture of the Year International, NPPA Best of Photojournalism, PDN and others for work from China, Japan, Afghanistan and Burma (Myanmar). His most recent iPad book Black Tsunami (FotoEvidence) documenting the Japan tsunami and nuclear crisis took a 2012 PX3 Award. James is now trying to get his “Black Tsunami” book published as a hardcover book. Check out the Kickstarter page and support this noble cause, and also check out my interview with him below. 1. An ocean going ship sits where it came to rest in the debris of the great 25m high (82 ft.) tsunami that hit Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture following the massive earthquake that struck under the sea off of Japan. I came to reportage/photojournalism through street photography. 2. 3. 4.
Environment: Lost in Japan: How to defend against tsunamis Allianz Knowledge: It wasn’t the earthquake but the following tsunami that caused most devastation in Japan. How did this massive wave develop? Jörn Lauterjung: This tsunami was triggered by an 8.9-magnitude earthquake around 250 miles (400 kilometers) from Tokyo, off the coastal city of Sendai. The tremor itself was a result of the Pacific tectonic plate submerging beneath the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. I always compare this with a flat spring as they are used for utility vehicles. When it cracked, the upper part of the Pacific plate rebounded, thereby rising the sea level by up to 4 meters along a 100 to 150 kilometer-long fracture zone. How big was this tsunami compared to the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004? But it’s not only the height of the wave that is so dangerous. Dr. Of course that changed immediately afterwards. In some areas with no natural hills and higher buildings even Tsunami Evacuation Raised Earth Parks (TEREPs) have been established.
2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief « Direct Relief On March 11, 2011, the magnitude-9.0 Tohoku Earthquake and subsequent tsunami and nuclear disaster struck northern Japan, killing over 16,000 people and leaving an estimated 3,000 missing. More than 5,400 people were injured and over 34,000 evacuated. The Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami damaged or destroyed more than 900,000 buildings. Immediately following the disaster, Direct Relief and the Japanese American Citizen’s League (JACL) established the Japan Relief and Recovery Fund, committing 100% of all contributions to be used exclusively to help people in Japan in the most productive, efficient manner possible. Consistent with both organizations’ missions, the Japan Relief and Recovery Fund has been used exclusively to support local Japanese organizations responding to the disaster. Grassroots organizations working in an emergency often fly under the radar of media attention, and therefore do not attract many resources generously made available to help in the response efforts.
Japan earthquake and tsunami: Aftershocks go on as 10k missing in Minami Sanrik By Jo Macfarlane Updated: 11:36 GMT, 14 March 2011 42 survivors have been pulled out of the rubbleOfficial death toll hits 1,597, but many hundreds believed to be buried under rubble or washed away by wavesToll will soar after around 2,000 bodies were found on the shores of Miyagi prefectureSecond explosion at nuclear power plantNumber of people contaminated with radiation could reach 160Region hit by hundreds of aftershocks, some up to 6.8-magnitudeRescue operation begins but some areas still cut off by road damage and flood waters70,000 people evacuated to shelters in Sendai Forty-two survivors have been pulled from the rubble in the flattened town of Minami Sanrik, where up to 10,000 people are feared to have perished. Around half the town's 18,000 residents are missing but search and rescue teams are still working desperately through the rubble to try and find more people. Police are also trying to stop people returning to their homes. Scroll down for video report Japan graphic
The Pacific Tsunami Museum Survive a Tsunami (for Kids) Edited by Flickety, OhioMike, Socha.michael.123, Lillian May and 92 others When an earthquake occurs or an volcano erupts under water, the waves travel like ripples on a pond after you throw a rock. The waves can be very tall, move very quickly and cause great damage when they strike land. This is called a tsunami and anybody in the path of it is in great danger. Here you will learn how to recognize the signs of a tsunami and protect yourself, your family and school friends. Ad Steps 1Be tsunami aware. 5Never leave a pet behind. Tips Warnings If you get caught in the water, the most important thing is to keep afloat. Things You'll Need Make a safety pack at home and as a class at school.
Tsunami Advertisement. EnchantedLearning.com is a user-supported site. As a bonus, site members have access to a banner-ad-free version of the site, with print-friendly pages.Click here to learn more. (Already a member? Click here.) A tsunami (pronounced sue-nahm-ee) is a series of huge waves that can cause great devastation and loss of life when they strike a coast. Tsunamis are caused by an underwater earthquake, a volcanic eruption, an sub-marine rockslide, or, more rarely, by an asteroid or meteoroid crashing into in the water from space. Many tsunamis could be detected before they hit land, and the loss of life could be minimized, with the use of modern technology, including seismographs (which detect earthquakes), computerized offshore buoys that can measure changes in wave height, and a system of sirens on the beach to alert people of potential tsunami danger. The Word Tsunami: The word tsunami comes from the Japanese word meaning "harbor wave." A Tsunami Hits the Coast:
Before a tsunami How to prepare for a tsunami Check your house and land for any potential dangers related to flooding. Identify any vulnerability and repair it. Learn how to turn off the gas and electricity in your house. Local authorities may instruct you to shut these off. Do not store your important documents in the basement. If you have any questions or need to know more about evacuation procedures, contact your local emergency management organization, or police or fire department. Early warning signs of a tsunami One of the signs of a potential tsunami is the occurrence of a very large earthquake that lasts for more than 20 seconds. What to do: During a tsunami