Geography essay †earthquakes Essay

At a conservative margin two scale of measurements try to slide prehistorical each other slowly. Quite often, the two exfoliations stick and force builds up the release of this pressure creates a severe temblor. There atomic number 18 no vol stackic eruptions along conservative plate margins because the crust is neither beingness created nor destroyed. The classic example of a conservative plate margin is the San Andreas fault in California. The North American and Pacific Plates are moving ult(a) each other at this margin, which is the location of many earthquakes.These earthquakes are caused by the accumulation and release of strain as the two plates slide past each other. The vast majority of Earthquakes occur along plate margins. In particular the locations of the earthquakes and the kind of ruptures they produce help scientists define the plate margin. much or less(prenominal) earthquakes form a narrow spread at some plate margins than others generally speaking, t he earthquakes at destructive plate margins have a great spread and hence affect more places than at conservative plate margins.According to plate tectonic theory, huge slabs of plates are in unremitting movement caused by convection currents, a lot of pressure builds up at the plate margins, which when released causes a sudden jolt or earthquake. This accounts for a oversized number of earthquakes that occur at plate margins. The fact that the some detrimental earthquakes occur at destructive/transform plate margins suggests that greater pressure builds up than at constructive plate margins. Earthquakes are probably the most frequent of all hazards, yet their impact on people, property and communities varies from angiotensin converting enzyme place to another.When it comes to mental synthesiss the type of building materials and designs used can minimize release of life, mainly in wealthy areas. This was the case with the Loma Prieta earthquake where in truth fewer people were killed, however in some areas were more vulnerable with honest-to-god buildings. With the Kobe earthquake (1995) there were less strict building regulations which led to spirited death toll of over 6,300. In poorer parts of the world building design is often inadequate, even though building design standards are in place they are rarely enforced, which was the case for Mexico City (1985). here(predicate) several modern high rise buildings collapsed as concrete crumbled and the sparse steel structures tore apart. The central hospital just collapsed in fare killing around 30000 people. It can also have different cause on different parts of the world due to the frequency of the earthquake and the levels of development. In wealthy areas where earthquakes are common, such(prenominal) as California and Japan, a lot is done to prepare for an earthquake there are standard earthquake drills in schools and offices.Poorer countries function to be less well watchful this is partly d ue to the lack of money to invest in materials and educational programs. Also because earthquakes are perceived as infrequent problems in a society facing daily struggles for survival. It is often said LEDCS last much more from the effects of earthquakes than MEDCs which is true in monetary value of human beings costs. A poor country with UN sturdy buildings and its inability to screw with the after effects of an earthquake, will suffer greater neediness of life, homelessness and loss of livelihood than a rich country.In recent years some of the greatest earthquake disasters have occurred in LEDCS including India 1993 which killed 10,000 people, Afghanistan 1998 which killed over 6,000. MEDCs do not tend to suffer as much human loss, but they do suffer a lot of financial loss, as insurance companies and governments re-fund building programs and pay compensation. Afghanistan 25th March 2002 there were a series of earthquakes that lasted 10 hours and killed 800-1000 people, injur ed 4,000 and left 20,000 homeless. Towns were flattened the earthquake all measure 6. 1 on the Richter scale.There were a few reasons why this earthquake caused so much widespread disaster. The region is remote and very poor, after suffering droughts and wars they have no resources left to cope with such an earthquake. The houses were very poor and couldnt withstand the shaking much living accommodations had heavy roofing to insulate their houses which just collapsed killing people inside. Although the earthquake was not so properly it was a shallow one occurring at a depth of 8km. Now comparing it with a wealthier place you can see the difference that money can make and buildings.Taiwan thirtieth March 2002 measured 7. 1 on the Richter scale so was more powerful than the Afghanistan one, and was at 10km deep so again was shallow this earthquake only killed 5 people. The Taiwan earthquake was significantly more powerful than the Afghanistan earthquake yet it caused far less loss of life, this was due to the fact that, many of the buildings were modern and coped well with the ground shaking, people were also advised of the dangers and had prepared themselves to minimize the dangers and damage to the properties.Taiwan is significantly wealthier than Afghanistan and its therefore better able to prepare and then to react after an earthquake. In conclusion 2 earthquakes of a similar magnitude might be expected to have similar effects but this is not unendingly the case. Whilst there can be no doubt that a bouffant powerful earthquake will caused a lot of damage wheresoever they occur, it seems to be the case that all things being equal LEDCs tend to suffer more than MEDCs.