Xi Chuan Earthquake - Essay Example

Katrina Petersen COMM 190 Recent Techniques and Breakthroughs that have been and will be used in Predicting the Occurrence of Strong Earthquakes in the Xi Chuan Province and its Impact on the Disaster Planning and Response of the Region The Xi Chuan basin is classified as a high seismic area because the region is located right where the Himalaya mountain belt and the Eurasian plate collide (Li and Chen 1003) Being near an active fault, the area regularly experiences light tremors due to the constant movement of the plates. However, there are instances wherein big, catastrophic earthquakes hit the region. An example of which happened on May 12, 2008, 06:28:04 (UTC) wherein according to official reports, seventy thousand people were killed, three hundred seventy four thousand people were injured, and about seventeen thousand more were reported missing. (Chen, Qiao, and Liu 809) Compared to other natural calamities, earthquakes are close to impossible to predict. The fault lines may have been identified and mapped out but no one can really tell when a big earthquake will happen. These events can only be studied after they have already happened and the damages to property and the loss of lives have been done. If a catastrophe is defined as an event causing great and often sudden damage and suffering (Miriam Webster dictionary of the English Language) that definition is especially true for the earthquakes that plague the Xi Chuan region in the heart of mainland China. Houses were turned to mere rubble while the very foundations of old castles crack and give way to the power of nature. Unfortunately, in these display of nature’s power, human lives are also lost. Preventing mortality and too much loss in infrastructure led the Chinese to develop ways to hopefully predict when big, catastrophic earthquakes would strike and where. Although they failed in making an early warning system for earthquakes at that time, the ancient Chinese built the 1st rudimentary seismograph to be able to detect where in the realm an earthquake occurred so as to direct help there immediately (Weiland). The quest for an effective means to predict where and when strong earthquakes will occur is still the goal in China and the rest of the world nowadays, but fortunately there are many instruments, equations and programs available as well as volumes of seismic data that can give clues to the time and place these big earthquakes would hit. It is not merely the geologists’ and geophysicists’ job to make sure of the safety of the people and the reduction of the destruction on infrastructure. Scientists, policy makers, as well as the private sector need to work hand-in-hand to prevent further devastation caused by these types of calamities. Dynamic planning and effective implementation of different measures assure the safety of people living in these earthquake-prone zones. This study focuses on recent techniques and breakthroughs that have been and will be used in predicting the occurrence of strong earthquakes in the Xi Chuan basin region and then we will evaluate each strategy’s impact on the disaster planning and response of the area. Improvements in the early warning system technology is the key to reducing mortality and destruction of infrastructure caused by large earthquakes and the efficient dissemination of information will be the determinant to each stratagem’s effectiveness. This paper will also touch on the improvements on the policies that favor earthquake readiness and the level of implementation of these laws since the eight magnitude earthquake in 2008. Literature Review A brief history of the study of seismic activity in the Xi Chuan basic region was detailed in the study of Han and Jiang (231). The Xi Chuan – Yunnan and Xi Chuan – Quinghai area has been plagued with earthquakes historically due to its location within active faults. Records of big and damaging earthquakes were passed down from dynasty to dynasty until this present age. Although China had been a nation for hundreds of years, only during the 1970s did the government and private sector establish organizations concerned with the study of seismic activity in the Xi Chuan and Yunnan provinces. The primary organization that collates and analyzes the data from these organizations is the China Earthquake Administration (CEA). CEA and their partner organizations have accomplished much in the three decades of their existence including the building of 170 seismic stations, improvement of observational technologies, systematic investigation of strong earthquakes from history and the research of recent earthquakes, the development of maps that showed the location of active faults. CEA with their regional partners and the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources of China (MGMRC) plans and formulates disaster preparedness and response strategies for the Xi Chuan region and other provinces that are also located in seismically active zones. Figure no. 1 from Han and Jiang (233) illustrates the major faults that run across the Xi Chuan basin and its neighboring provinces and also shows the direction of movement of the plates. Based on the illustration, it is no wonder that the province gets a lot of shakes and tremors. Maps like these, generated by CEA help the regional policy makers in making zoning efforts to keep their citizens away from imminent danger and it also guides them to the best and worst locations to construct large, pressure inducing structures like mines and dams that can affect the dynamics of the plates and the stability of the faults. These maps also serve as guides for geologists and geophysicists to the best location to place their probes and seismic instruments so as to accurately monitor, in real time, the movement of the plates and the consequent changes in the faults that might very well lead to an earthquake. Figure 1. Sichuan-Yunnan and Sichuan-Qinghai crustal blocks and its movement. (Han, Xia 1980 in Han, Jiang 232.) (1) Xianshuibe Fault, (2) Longmenshan Fault, (3) makers then use the data from seismic organizations as well as the studies of researchers to legislate safety building codes, and disaster preparedness and response procedure for the provinces affected. (Chen, Qiao, Liu 809) ` The system for disaster preparedness and response against devastation caused by earthquakes was already in place about 10 years after the establishment of the CEA. Over the years, these policies had been improved in response to the seismic zoning maps and other relevant geologic research. However the 2008 earthquake proved that these policies are not well implemented and the research data are no efficiently being translated into action. In a New York Times article written in commemoration of the anniversary of 2008 Xi Chuan earthquake, many of the victims who died during the disaster were school children who were buried under the rubble of their collapsed school. The outcry of the parents was immense, especially since most of them lost their only child in the earthquake due to the one child policy. They questioned and blamed the government for not implementing the building codes strictly and for violating zoning laws that prohibited the building of structures that would cause stress to faults. Subsequent major earthquakes in the region showed improvement in the disaster response but the death toll that still reaches to the hundreds is still an indication that there is a lot to improve on the technology employed in earthquake prediction, as well as information dissemination, policy making and their implementation (Fish). Stress field zoning is dynamic and they should always be observed in the construction of houses, roads, buildings and other infrastructure. The first seismic zoning map was implemented in 2001 according to an article made by Du Yuan dated April 22, 2012. Aside from these zoning laws, there are also laws that were implemented even before the great earthquake in 2008 that called for the construction of buildings that can withstand a fair amount of tectonic movement. Current national buildings standards in China mandates that buildings erected in high seismic zones should have a high earthquake resistance level. For example, according to the most up-to-date seismic zoning map, buildings in Lushan and Baoxing that have been recently built are required to have a “Level 7” earthquake resistance. Municipalities located near active faults like Hanyuan and Shimian Counties, located to the south of Ya’an city, need at least a “Level 8.” Yeh standard for schools and hospitals are higher, as they should be constructed with a higher level of earthquake resistance compared to other structures in the area. On April 20, 2012, another major earthquake hit Xi Chuan with its epicenter located near the epicenter of the 2008 earthquake. The magnitude of this earthquake is not as strong at the 2008 earthquake but it has been noted that a lot of old as well as new houses still collapse though schools and hospitals did not sustain much damage (Yuan). There were many reasons why buildings still collapsed which contributed to death for hundreds of people. These include the relative age of some buildings, substandard construction of new buildings, as well as the lack of resources by residents to make the necessary renovations in their homes to keep with the current building standard (Yuan). Although this is not entirely the governments fault, many still criticize the government because aid was not delivered promptly to the victims of the quake, especially with among the rural areas where food, potable water, and shelter assistance were needed the most (Bishop). It is evident that there is a need for reform in the implementation of laws that concern the assurance of safety with regards to seismic faults and there is also a need to evaluate the disaster preparedness in regions with high seismic activity. Researchers are still finding ways to better equip regional and local seismic monitoring stations for effective and accurate prediction of big earthquakes. Policy makers are also making new laws with regards to the strict implementation for geologic zoning and building codes (Stone). There is also a move for catastrophe insurance for those who live near fault lines (Jang 159). Disaster preparedness in Xi Chuan is not entirely lost and there have been significant improvements already in the readiness of the residents as well as the rescue team for big earthquakes, which can be considered as significant victories since the disaster of 2008. Early warning systems have been laid down and were already tested to be effective against a 4.9 magnitude earthquake near the border of Xi Chuan and Yunnan provinces. Instruments detected a possible 5 magnitude earthquake in the area 6 seconds before it hit, and quickly disseminated the information to locals via cellphone message, micro blogs and on its website (Tianran). Those 6 seconds spelled survival for many of the residents attesting to the power of good implementation of procedures with efficient technology in saving lives in the event of an earthquake. Partnerships with western as well as with other Asian geological societies and agencies as coupled with the on-going support of the government for geologic, as well as materials research are paving the way for safer building construction, better seismic zoning paradigms, more adept policy making, and better implementation. This gives rise to a more robust disaster planning and response stratagem that may well be the start of a revolution in earthquake readiness. The cooperation of locals as well as private entities also contributes to the expected improvements on the current disaster planning and response procedure in Xi Chuan and other highly seismic zones. Methodology Relevant research articles will be selected thorough the aid of reputable online library catalogues and a search of relevant materials will also be done with the resources of the UCSD library. Since the paper deals with technologies and techniques, and how it shapes government policies for earthquake disaster readiness, then locating research articles that connect the two or have a potential to connect government policy and technology is of utmost importance. Commentaries on the implementation of these technology based government policies will also be included in the pool of articles that will be evaluated for their merit. It will be made sure that all articles are from reputable sources and that the research articles are peer-reviewed and also from reputable journals. The papers will be grouped into the subheadings for the results and discussion which are: Past and extant policies and technology – their points of success and failure, Changes in policy making for disaster response and preparedness, and Breakthroughs to help improve seismic research and policy making. As much as possible, recent data papers, not older than the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake will be selected. And from this narrowed down pool, data will be collated and analyzed. A concrete conclusion will be drawn from the data got from the papers and articles as well as the projected effects these changes will bring about to the Xi Chuan basin region. Recommendations will also be drawn from the collected knowledge from the papers with regards to the probable course of action the local government of Xi Chuan and its neighboring provinces should take in order to maintain the level of disaster preparedness that is ideal to reduce and hopefully eliminate the loss of life and damages to infrastructure that commonly tails with big earthquakes. References Bishop, Bill. “Earthquake response and political tension return to the spotlight.” China Insider for The New York Times. 22 April 2013. Web. Chen, Ling, Qiao, Pizhong, and Liu, Pengfei. “The Impact of Wenchuan Earthquake on structures.” In Earth and Space 2010; Engineering, Science, Construction, and Operations in Challenging Environments. 809-834. Ed. Gangbing, Song and Malla, Ramesh B. American Society of Civil Engineers. 2010. Print. Fish, Isaac Stone. What the Chinese officials have learned about crisis management since the last earthquake. Foreign Policy. 22 April 2013. Web. Han, Wei-bin and Jiang, Gou-fang. “Study on distribution Characteristics of Strong earthquakes in Sichuan-Yunnan area and their geological tectonic background”. Acta Siesmologica Sinica. 230-243. National Natural Science Foundation of China. 17.2. March 2004. Print. Jang, Jong-Hag. “The prospect of catastrophe securitization in China”. International Business Research. 159-166. CCSE. 2.4. October 2009. Print. Li, H.-C. and Chen, C.-C. “Characteristics of long term regional seismicity before the 2008 Wen-Chuan, China, Earthquake using pattern informatics and genetic algorithms.” Natural Hazards and the Earth System Sciences. 1003-1009. Published by Copernicus Publications for The European Geosciences Union. Vol. 11. 30 March 2011. Print Lou, Hai and Wang Chun-yong. “Wavelet analysis and interpretation of gravity data in Sichua-Yunnan region, China”. Acta Siesmologica Sinica”. 552-561. National Natural Science Foundation of China. 18.5. September 2005. Print. Miriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary. “Catastrophe”. Web. Tianran, Xu. “Warning system scores first major earthquake alert in Yunnan.” Global Times. 20 February 2013. Web. The New York Times. “Sichuan Earthquake”. 6 May 2009. Web. Wieland, Martin. "Earthquake Alarm, Rapid Response and Early Warning Systems: Low Cost Systems for Seismic Risk Reduction". SEONCSWC. 03 September 2009. Web. Yuan, Du. “Why so many houses collapsed in Sichuan.” The Economic Observer. 22 April 2012. Web. Read More