The Occurrence of a Strong Earthquake - Essay Example

Earthquakes Introduction The plates of the earth occasionally break or shift due to the pressure. In the process, energy is released which results in the rippling shock waves that cause the earthquakes (National Geographic, 2016). Depending on the energy released from the process, quakes may either be strong or weak. Earthquakes happen on a daily around the globe; these are unnoticed because they are low. However, when an enormous amount of energy is released, it results in severe earthquakes. Severe earthquakes result extensive destruction (National Geographic, 2016). According to the National Geographic, an average quake of magnitude 8 occurs yearly somewhere on Earth, majorly along the faults which are found along the edges of the major plates. The occurrence of a severe earthquake has a severe impact on the country; however, the extent to which these results go depends heavily on the environmental and structural factors in the country. To clearly understand how these factors cause a variation in the casualties, it is appropriate to consider countries prone to major earthquakes. This article looks at Chile and Haiti; countries that are prone to earthquakes. Considering the earthquake of magnitude 7.0 that hit Haiti in January 2010, an estimate of 220,000 people died, and the damage was between $7.8 and $9.5 billion (Earthquake.usgs.gov, 2016). A month later Chile was struck by a magnitude 8.8 earthquake which had 500 times more than the Haiti earthquake. An estimate of 525 people died, and the damage was between $15 and $30 billion. These statistics show significant variation in the casualties and costs (Earthquake.usgs.gov, 2016). Brief description of the Haiti and Chile Haiti is a country in the Caribbean Sea, majorly made up of small islands. The capital is Port-au-Prince. Haiti has an approximate area of 27,700 Sq. Km, which is inhabited by a population of 10,912,000; with the significant portion of the population living in the urban areas. It has a rugged topography with the mountains are mainly limestone, with few volcanic formations (Cia.gov, 2016). Deforestation has considerably contributed to soil erosion, with an approximated one-third of the land eroded beyond recovery. Various economic, political, and social difficulties have retarded the growth of Haiti. This is worsened by the periodic natural disasters such as earthquakes; which have beset it with chronic poverty. Chile stretches to a maximum length of 4,300 km north to south, with a stretch of 350 km at its widest part east to west. An approximated are of 756,950 sq. km having an estimated population of 18,006,407 people. Chile is relatively surrounded by various mountain ranges, making up about 80% of the land; with a central depression crossing the country (Cia.gov, 2016). The country’s economy was fairly stable due to the various minerals available. The country is majorly affected by the periodic earthquakes and other natural disasters. Tectonic set up causing the earthquakes The boundary of the North America and Caribbean plate is the origin of the Haiti earthquake. The left-lateral strike slips motion, results in a slip of about 20 mm per year (Earthquake.usgs.gov, 2016. The motion of these plates is in two major fault systems; the Septentrional and Enriquillo-Plantain fault systems found in the North and South part of Haiti respectively. This contributes to the earthquakes in Haiti. Majorly, the earthquakes in Chile happen at the border of the Nazca and South American plates; this was due to the convergence of the plates at 80mm per year rate. (Earthquake.usgs.gov, 2016). This earthquake resulted from the thrust-faulting between the two plates. The convergence of these two plates has made Chile prone to large earthquake. Geology of the countries contributed to the damage The earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010, was a large-scale earthquake ever experienced in the country. The quake hit at around 4:53 pm, it was about 25km southwest of Port-au-Prince. The earthquake was followed by two other aftershocks with magnitudes almost same as the initial one (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016). The tremor that occurred at about 13km in depth was quite shallow; this contributed to the increased shaking of the surface causing tremors throughout Haiti. However, the densely populated regions located on the Gulf of Gonave were heavily hit. Significant amounts of damage were sustained in the southern city of Jacmel. Furthermore, the cities closer to the epicenter such as the western town of Leogane were virtually leveled. In comparison to the Haiti earthquake, the earthquake that hit Chile had a larger magnitude. It was registered at a magnitude of 8.8 (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016). Chile earthquake hit at 3:34 am, with its epicenter locate 325 km from Santiago and focus at 35km below the surface of the Pacific Ocean (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016). This caused the rupture of the fault between the two plates causing the major earthquake that hit Chile. After the initial quake, there were several other aftershocks many of them had a magnitude of 5.0. Similar to the Haitian case, this quake was the strongest that had struck the region since the 1960 event that was of magnitude 9.5 (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016). Despite the two countries experiencing earthquakes of greater magnitudes, the casualty and damage levels encountered in the countries significantly varied. This may have been as a result of the other factors that followed after the earthquakes. Factors that contributed to the variation in Casualty and damage levels The depth of the epicenter and focus greatly influenced the impact of the quake on the land. The closeness of the epicenter to the earth’s surface determines the amount of energy that will reach the surface and the amount of damage such energy can cause to the land. For instance, the quake of magnitude 7.0 that hit Haiti had its epicenter and focus only 13km away from the Haitian capital a region that had a large population (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016). This meant that much of the energy released by the quake was focused on the land, causing significant destruction of the infrastructures. The earthquake that struck Chile had its epicenter 35km below the Pacific Ocean; much of the energy released did not reach the land directly (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016). The increased amount of damage was as a result of the aftershocks that happened after the main quake. The geographical location of these countries contributed to the increased levels of casualties. Haiti is a mountainous land, with much of its soil eroded beyond recovery. This has made the soil so loose, in the case of a major earthquake such as the one that struck it in 2010; a massive landslide may be triggered. The massive amounts of land that is displaced may substantially contribute to the increase in the number of casualties. This was further made worse by the tsunami that followed immediately after the earthquake. Despite the epicenter of the quake being far off the mainland, Chile was still affected by the quake, resulting in low levels of casualties. But due to its proximity from the Pacific Ocean, the pressure from the quake caused the water to rise; this caused a major tsunami that struck Chile. A combination of the earthquake and the resulting tsunami contributed to the death of 500 Chileans and the damage of property worth billions (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016). Both the two countries are located in places that are recognized as the seismic and volcanic zones. This has resulted in the periodic occurrence of natural disasters that affect the infrastructural system. Haiti has been struggling with the poor governance this has been a major setback in the national preparation for the natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunami. Due to lack of building codes, many buildings have been constructed without proper reinforcement, when struck by an earthquake these buildings disintegrated and collapsed killing and trapping many of the occupants (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016). Chile, on the other hand, was well prepared due to the frequent occurrence of the disasters the government had put in place the building codes, most of the buildings were able to withstand the earthquake effects (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016). Chile was in a good position regarding the resources hence there was well developed infrastructural system, they were well prepared to deal with the consequences of the earthquake. As a result of the difference in governance, there were a total of 220,000 casualties in Haiti compared to Chile’s 500 victims. National wealth was responsible for the varied lose regarding the property. Haiti is a poverty stricken country struggling with the governance. It has not had any proper development regarding infrastructures such as roads, water supply, communication and power lines. With the large part of the country not yet developed. During the earthquake, there is not much of the property destroyed. Chile has a stable governance system and also natural resources such as minerals that add up to its wealth. Due to the massive development, during an earthquake all the infrastructure is destroyed. This is the reason for the variation of the amount of damage caused by the quake in the two countries. Apart from all that, the casualty level may be varied due to other social factors. For example, due to the unpreparedness of Haiti in dealing with the results of an earthquake led to an increase in the casualty level. With a massive destruction in Haiti, it was difficult for the aid agencies to reach the victims. Lack of clean water supply led to the outbreak of cholera, and many of the hospitals were destroyed, and there was no treatment. This caused the death of many people. In contrast to Haiti, Chile was well prepared for the disaster, and so it quickly recovered from the effects of the earthquake, minimizing the number of casualties. Recommendations Apart from the injuries resulting from the actual quake, aftermath effects may play a part in increasing the number of victims. This is evident based on the various aspects discussed in this article. In the wake of an earthquake, many people are affected, and this may result in massive deaths. For that, it is appropriate to put measures in place to prevent severe destructions. Various governments should set aside funds to quick deal with such disasters when they occur. Also, strict codes of infrastructural development should be put in place by the countries. To ensure the structures constructed to meet the standards and can withstand the various natural calamities. References National Geographic,. (2016). Earthquakes--Forces of Nature--Science, Maps, Photos, Video (National Geographic). Nationalgeographic.com. Retrieved 17 November 2016, from http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/04/forcesofnature/forces/earthquakes.html Earthquake.usgs.gov,. (2016). Poster of the Offshore Bio-Bio, Chile Earthquake of 27 February 2010 - Magnitude 8.8. Earthquake.usgs.gov. Retrieved 17 November 2016, from http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/poster/2010/20100227.php Earthquake.usgs.gov,. (2016). Poster of the Haiti Earthquake of 12 January 2010 - Magnitude 7.0. Earthquake.usgs.gov. Retrieved 17 November 2016, from http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/poster/2010/20100112.php Encyclopedia Britannica,. (2016). Chile earthquake of 2010. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 17 November 2016, from https://www.britannica.com/event/Chile-earthquake-of-2010 Encyclopedia Britannica,. (2016). Haiti earthquake of 2010. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 17 November 2016, from https://www.britannica.com/event/Haiti-earthquake-of-2010 Cia.gov,. (2016). The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency. Cia.gov. Retrieved 17 November 2016, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html Cia.gov,. (2016). The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency. Cia.gov. Retrieved 17 November 2016, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ci.html? Read More