Power of the Quake Essay -- essays research papers fc

Power of the quake When humans are under tremendous pressure, they are told that they should try and relieve some stress. The same is true of mother earth when she is under a terrible strain; she has to relieve some stress, only Earths version of blowing off some steam is very deadly and extremely terrifying. An earthquake is a vibration of the Earths surface that follows a release of energy in the Earths crust. There are various ways this energy is released. Manmade explosions, dislocation of segments of the crust or volcanic eruptions are all triggers for an Earthquake; however, most are caused by a slippage of faults. A fault is a fracture in the Earths crust along which two blocks of the crust have slipped within one another. These faults are grouped into three categories (normal, thrust and strike-slip) and are located all over the Earth. In North America there is a very large fault that runs through California that separates the North American plate and the Pacific plate. The afore mentioned fault is called the San Andreas fault and is approximately 1300 kilometers long and a great source for Earthquakes and activity. San Andreas is unusual because unlike most faults, which are beneath the Earths surface, the San Andreas is visible on the surface. One of the bigger Earthquakes ever recorded ran along this fault and will be discussed later in the paper. The length and severity of an Earthquake does vary. Much in the way lightning is a preemptive sign that thunder will follow, foreshocks are a preemptive sign that a major Earthquake will follow. Foreshocks are small Earthquakes that last anywhere from years to hours before a major quake. When foreshocks have been monitored for making predictions it has had mixed results but if nothing else they do allow people to prepare for the potential disaster that may follow. Once that major quake does follow it can last seconds or minutes and the damage can be nil or severe. If severe then the aftershocks that follow can bring down structures that were badly damaged from the major quake. This whole process is repetitious, taking place along faults with powerful quakes once every two years and moderate quakes averaging 40 per year. Scientists’ estimate more than 8,000 minor quakes take place each day but do not cause any damage. Fault lines are not limited to the land. They do run under the water and the str... ...ds of lives. Humans’ ability to cope with natural disaster such as an Earthquake will be an ongoing struggle. The best hope relies on better predictions, better structural design and ultimately no fatalities. Works Cited Dunegan, H.L. (1996, June 11-13). Prediction of Earthquakes home what’s new about AE/MS. (6th Conference on AE/MS activity in geologic structures and materials) Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, vol. 86, NO. 1A, pp. 204-211 McNally, Karen C (2002, February 16). â€Å"Earthquake† World Book Online Americas Edition, www./wbol/na/ar/co/171680. p.1-13 Mooney, M.J. (1990). Tsunami. (When the sea quakes) Americas, vol. 42 Issue 4, p.24,5p,1diagram,2C. www.oem1.epnet.com/oemfulltext.asp?resultSetId=R00000000&hitNum=2&booleanTerm.com Anonymous (1997,Oct 23). How Earthquakes Happen (Aerial view of the San Andreas fault in the Carrizo Plain, Central California). Education and Outreach http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/earthq1/how.html Unknown (1906, April 19). Earthquake and Fire San Francisco in Ruins Call Chronicle Examiner (First Newspaper Report Home Index by year Biographies the gift shop) www.sfmuseum.org/press/clip.html