Earthquakes Case Studies: Vancouver And Haiti

In conclusion the recent conception and development of plate tectonic theory has greatly aided our understanding of the distribution of seismic events. We now understand that there is a correlation between earthquakes/volcanoes locations and their proximity to a plate boundary plates are continually moving and earthquakes and volcanoes are found along these boundaries. Exceptions to this rule such as Hawaii also help prove tectonic theory due to their unique creation. Whilst this has helped our understanding we also recognise the fact those in LEDCs with poor access to education are unaware of plate tectonic theory so they cannot understand the hazards that some countries face, nor have the means to mitigate against them thus worsening the

The aim of this report is to describe the Newcastle earthquake and identify its social, physical and economic effects on the community. The event in detail, major effects, how the event was caused, the effects on the communities property, people, infrastructure and economy, will all be addressed in this report. Also the long term planning implications, preventative measures, preparedness, response implications, and well as recovery implications will covered and described.

On January 12th, 2010, the small country of Haiti was hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated the city of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas (Haiti earthquake of 2010, 2015). The 30-second disaster was just the beginning of a collection of aftershocks that then struck the country relentlessly for days (Haiti earthquake of 2010, 2015). Many areas were reduced to rubble leaving approximately one million Haitians homeless and 350 000 dead and another 300 000 injured (Haiti earthquake of 2010, 2015). The ill-prepared country was sitting on two tectonic plates- the Caribbean and the North American, where there was slippage resulting in the earthquake (KS3 Bitesize Geography). Following the environmental catastrophe, the international community responded, and a relief effort began (Haiti earthquake of 2010, 2015).

California’s unique geography as a state makes it a very appealing place to call home. From the odd east to west transverse San Gabriel mountain ranges of the Los Angeles Basin, to the bumpy coastal ranges of the Bay Area, any person can find a compatible topographic terrain to their liking. California may seem to be the perfect place to live with its ideal climate and extensive geographic features. However, due to California’s location over the shifting continental plates, coupled with its enormous and also multiple faults, at any time this great state can fall victim to a seismic disaster. After examining evidence from both Rong-Gong Lin’s II Los Angeles Times article of April 18, 2016 and the NOVA videos Killer Quake ( 2006), Earthquake (2007), as well as Geologic Journey II – Episode 3 (The Pacific Rim: Americas) – Part 3 (San Francisco) and The Great San Francisco Earthquake (American Experience ~ 2005), one can take a comparative account of the three major earthquakes of California’s past. Although each earthquake was very devastating on is own; the Great Quake 0f 1906, the Loma Prieta quake of 1989, and the NorthRidge quake of 1994 each amounted to an extensive forfeiture of property and life. Each of these earthquakes created much suffering and loss. It is imperative for each citizen of this great state to understand the damage that a California quake can actually do and be prepared; for the threat of one always looms.

Earthquakes have afflicted the world since its inception. The sudden release of energy from volcanoes or displacing of earth plates can result in disasters of extreme magnitude. These usually naturally occurring phenomenon have been responsible from wiping out entire towns throughout history and until today continue to produce major loss of life and infrastructure. It can take years for a city or country to recover from a major event of this kind and when a third world country is involved, the result is usually exponentially worse than in a developed country. In the past decades Japan, Chile and Haiti have suffered the devastation an earthquake produces. This document will concentrate in Haiti, a small country in the Caribbean. On

Over more than 50 decades there has been multiple earthquakes that have been caused by the activity that takes place beneath and above the surface of the earth. For every earthquake there are various effects and consequences, these are generally not preventable but teachable moments. As we study and explore landforms we learn and better understand how today 's structures came about, what took place decades ago and where do we go from here. Thanks to the technology and inquiring minds we are able to study past events like the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the 1964 Alaska earthquake. In comparing these two events we can get an overview of what happened and better prepare ourselves for something like that in the future.

Recently, District of North Vancouver has released the results of a detailed five-year study that models a shallow 7.3 magnitude earthquake, with epicentre in the Strait of Georgia, risk in the municipality. Although this might not be the worst-case scenario,it still provides useful information in terms of determining the vulnerability of North Vancouver facing an earthquake. The bright side of the evaluation is that majority of people live in wood frame houses, which are inherently better able to withstand earthquake damage and most are built on stable, solid ground. That would be especially important if an earthquake struck at night, when most people are home.The dark side is that areas likely to be most impacted by ground shaking and soil failure in an earthquake, especially buildings in several low-lying waterfront areas would likely be topple as sandy soils were subject to liquefaction just like the below figure has shown where the red parts indicate areas near the shore or the waterfront is facing structural failure and danger of collapse. Looking to the upper regions, it is shown in this scenario that these areas would receive no significant structural damage when experienced a 7.3 magnitude earthquake. In general, North Vancouver is less dangerous under the condition

Large magnitude earthquakes occur on plate boundaries and can produce hazards such as movement along faults, landslides, and tsunamis. In North America, the western coast is an active margin, meaning that it is home to earthquakes and

People tremble when they hear the word; destruction, and tragedy: all words that come to mind when “earthquake” is heard. Earthquake is a natural calamity that has the power to destroy human lives in a few seconds; it is responsible for the huge damage to living and non-living things. It occurs without warning and can cause millions of money in destruction and deaths and also it is one of the most unpredictable and devastating occurrences Mother Nature dishes out. There is a sudden slip in the earth’s crust, which makes the earth shake causing mass destruction to buildings and people in the surrounding areas. These areas in the earth’s crust are called faults; the ground bends to a certain limit until the point of breaking, when it finally snaps, it sends vibrations up to

On January 12th, 2010 there was an earthquake in Haiti, with its epicentre near the town of Léogâne , approximately 25 kilometres west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. It had a magnitude of 7.0. This left 220,000-316,000 dead and 300,000 people injured. 1.5 million People were initially displaced. The people displaced were placed into 1500 different camps. In these horrible conditions most would think that the high density would be the prime factor.

Earthquake Hazards occur when there are adverse effects on human activities. This can include surface faulting, ground shaking and liquefaction. In this essay I will be discussing the factors that affect earthquakes, whether human such as population density, urbanisation and earthquake mitigation or physical such as liquefaction, magnitude, landslides and proximity to the focus.

causes an earthquake because the pressure builds up then the pressure is finally released (see source 1). This movement from the plates forces waves of energy to come to the surface of the Earth. Plates can also converge into each other, this is when two plates collide and one goes beneath one and creates an earthquake.

An analysis on the mechanism of destruction, impact, recovery, responses and future steps of the 2011 M6.3 Earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Marshak ( 2013) contends that there are over 1 million earthquakes that occur each year, but only several hundred earthquakes actually cause any damage. According to the Exploratorium Museum’s Website, the toll that earths have on the population and infrastructures vary from place to place, even if the earthquakes are similar in magnitude. It all narrows down to how the area’s buildings and infrastructures were built. The damages that people usually associate with earthquakes are actually created by humans. Thus, the design, construction and

In the U.S. alone, the average annual cost to repair damage caused by earthquakes is $4.4 billion USD. The worldwide figure is much larger than this but unquantifiable due to poorer countries unable to accurately determine the amount of damage that occurred. Year after year the cost of damages barely fluctuates from these ridiculously high figures and money must be pumped into repairing the damage done. Although a lot is being learnt about earthquakes and the fact that humans are now normally able to be alerted in time to evacuate the area the earthquake will affect, there have been no breakthroughs into reducing the amount of damage earthquakes cause to buildings and infrastructures.