Earthquakes: The Same Effects but Different Responses (Essay Sample)

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Earthquakes: The Same Effects but Different Responses
Naturally occurring hazards such as earthquakes and landslides have numerous negative impacts on people and environment in which they happen. These phenomena are caused by either geographic or geologic factors which are beyond the control of human beings. The aim of this paper is to discuss the causes and effects of earthquakes on people and the ecosystem in which they occur. The paper also compares how third world and economically advanced nations responds to the effects of earthquakes.
An earthquake is defined as an abrupt movement of the tectonic plates which makes up the earth crust as a result of compression or tension forces generated due to various geophysical activities (Gregersen, Søren, and Peter, 20). This natural hazard in most instances occurs where tectonic plates coincide generating forces which cause them to move either vertically or horizontally along a fault line (44). The tectonic plates along the San Andreas Fault in California undergo compression whereas those along the mid-Atlantic ridge elongates.
Overlapping of tectonic plates under violent motion is also a major causative of earthquakes (50). An instance of this occurred on the border of South America along the Peru-Chile trench. The violent motion is normally caused by forces which results when these plates try to disentangle from each other (Ben-Menahem, and Sarva Jit Singh, 560). Consequently, overwhelming strains develop which distorts the rocks at the margins of the plates. As the violent motion continues, the strain builds up to yield point causing rocks to break abruptly releasing a high pressure at the seismic focus that moves through the rock particles in the form of seismic waves (565). These waves cause tremors with negative consequences at the epicenter and other points within its vicinity.
The effects of earthquakes vary significantly depending on its strength, the population and the extent of development in the area of occurrence (570). The aftermath of this hazard can either be primary or secondary depending on the nature of the event. Primary impacts are caused directly by the earthquakes and occur immediately after its occurrence. These include Tsunamis, the failure of structures such as bridges, buildings, dams, and buildings, and the development of faults (Gregersen, Søren, and Peter, 50). On the contrary, secondary effects prevail after the consequence of direct impacts of earthquakes. Such impacts include fatalities, fire, and soil liquefaction.
Highlighting the secondary impacts, for instance, fire is caused by overhead electric cables and destroyed gas piping system (54). The efforts of controlling this calamity are hampered by destroyed transportation and water distribution systems. Consequently, fire spreads rapidly especially in highly built areas leading to the destruction of property and loss of life. Tsunamis occurs when an earthquake’s seismic focus is located close to the coast or on the sea floor (55). The resulting seismic waves disturb the body of water causing enormous displacement of water. This leads to catastrophic sea waves that floods coastal areas and sweeps away naval vessels leading to fatalities (60).
When earthquakes occur on steep slopes, landslides are prone to occur leading to soiling of rivers and cutting off fresh water supplies (Ben-Menahem, and Sarva Jit Singh, 564). This causes the spread of diseases due to inadequate water supply, destruction of water transport systems and damage to farm lands a condition that leads to famine. Soil liquefaction is inherent where tremors caused by earthquakes occur especially in soils with high water content (565). This condition causes the soil to lose its cohesion and shear strength compelling it to behave like a fluid. In this state, soil can’t support the foundation of heavy structure causing them to settle (565).
The response to the impacts of earthquakes varies significantly in countries that are at different levels of economic development. Evaluating the responses that are opted by third world countries versus those used by more developed nations, substantial differences are notable. For instance, analyzing the earthquake that occurred in Pakistan on October 8, 2005, with a Richter magnitude of 7.6 claimed over 7300 lives (Walsh, 34). The resulting landslides buried numerous houses, especially in Balakot town. The road transportation system in these areas was cut off by the landslides and thus, there was a need to mobilize other advanced means of transport to access the locality (36). European countries and charity organization such as UNICEF responded to this hazard by offering humanitarian aid to those affected. Most of the survivors of this hazard lived in ...