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- Earthquake Essay
Download the Earthquake Essay Available on Vedantu’s Website.
Earthquakes are some of the most devastating natural disasters. Millions of dollars worth of property are damaged and a hundred die every time a big magnitude of eater quake strikes. It is in this regard that everyone must read and know about earthquakes and be prepared to mitigate the damage. Furthermore, the topic of earthquakes is quite often asked in exams. Preparing for this topic will enable them to have an edge and score more marks in the English paper.
To serve the above-mentioned purpose, Vedantu has come up with the Earthquake essay. This essay is prepared by the experts who know what exactly is required to know and weeding out points that are not important. The essay is very precise and would surely allow students to successfully claim marks in the essay question and even stay prepared when an earthquake actually strikes.
What is an Earthquake?
When the earth’s surface shakes, the phenomenon is referred to as an earthquake. Precisely, the sudden trembling of the earth’s surface is the cause of an earthquake. Earthquakes are regarded as one of the deadliest natural disasters. Huge damage and loss of property are caused by earthquakes. There are various types of earthquakes. Some of them are severe in nature. The most dangerous thing about an earthquake is that it is quite unpredictable. It can cause several damages without any previous indication. The intensity of an earthquake is measured by the Richter’s scale. Generally, earthquakes occur due to the movement of tectonic plates under the earth’s surface.
Types of Earthquake
There are four kinds of earthquakes namely
Tectonic Earthquake,
Volcanic Earthquake,
Collapse Earthquake and
Explosive Earthquake.
Tectonic Earthquake
It is caused due to the movement of the slab of rocks of uneven shapes that lie underneath the earth’s crust. Apart from that, energy is stored in the earth’s crust. Tectonic plates are pushed away from each other or towards each other due to the energy. A pressure is formed because of the energy and movement as time passes. A fault line is formed due to severe pressure. The center point of this dispersion is the epicenter of the earthquake. Subsequently, traveling of the waves of energy from focus to the surface causes the tremor.
Volcanic Earthquake
The earthquake caused by volcanic activity is called a volcanic earthquake. These kinds of earthquakes are of weaker magnitudes. Volcanic earthquakes are categorized into two types. In the first type, which is called volcano-tectonic, shaking happens due to input or withdrawal of Magma. In the second type, which is termed as Long-period earthquake, tremors occur due to changing of pressure among the earth’s layers.
Collapse Earthquake
Collapse Earthquake is the third type of earthquake that occurs in the caverns and mines. This is another example of a weak magnitude earthquake. Mines collapsed due to underground blasts. Consequently, seismic waves are formed due to this collapsing. Earthquakes occur because of these seismic waves.
Explosive Earthquake
The fourth type of earthquake is called an explosive earthquake. This is caused due to the testing of nuclear weapons.
Effects of Earthquake
The effects of earthquakes are very severe and deadly.
It can cause irreparable damage to property and loss of human lives. The lethality of an earthquake depends on its distance from the epicentre.
Damage to establishments is the direct impact of an earthquake. In the hilly areas, several landslides are caused due to earthquakes.
Another major impact of an earthquake is soil liquefaction. Losing the strength of water-saturated granular material is the cause behind this. The rigidity of soil is totally lost due to this.
Since the earthquake affects the electric power and gas lines, it can cause a fire to break out.
Deadly Tsunamis are caused due to earthquakes. Gigantic sea waves are caused by the sudden or abnormal movement of huge volumes of water. This is called an earthquake in the ocean. When tsunamis hit the sea coasts, they cause a massive loss of lives and properties.
Earthquake is termed as one of the most huge and lethal natural disasters in the world. It proves the fact that human beings are just nothing in front of nature. The sudden occurrence of earthquakes shocks everyone. Scientists are working rigorously to prevent the damage of earthquakes, but nothing fruitful has been achieved yet.
Examples of Devastating Earthquake
The city of Kobe in Japan witnessed a devastating earthquake on January 17, 1995, killing more than 6,000 and making more than 45,000 people homeless. The magnitude of the quake was 6.9 at the moment which caused damage of around 100 million dollars. The governor of Kobe spent years on reconstruction and made efforts to bring back fifty thousand people who had left home. Japan geologically is a highly active country. It lies upon four major tectonic plates namely, Eurasian, Philippine, Pacific, and North American which frequently meet and interact.
The second incident is in Nepal where an earthquake struck on April 25, 2015. About 9000 people were killed and almost 600,000 structures were destroyed. The magnitude of the quake was 7.9 and the repels were felt by neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, China and India. The disaster caused severe damage of millions of dollars. All the countries across the world including India garnered to help Nepal by sending monetary aid, medical supplies, transport helicopters and others.
FAQs on Earthquake Essay
1. How to download the Earthquake Essay?
The Earthquake essay is available on Vedantu's website in PDF format. The PDF could be downloaded on any device, be it android, apple or windows. One just has to log on to www.vedantu.com and download the document. The document is totally free of cost and a student does not need to pay any prior registration fee.
2. How to protect oneself during an earthquake?
Earthquakes could be very disastrous and can cause a lot of collateral damage. During an earthquake you can look for the corners to hide. Another safe place to hide is under the table or under the bed. If one is sitting in a multistory building, avoid taking a lift and only use the stairs. In this kind of situation, one should never panic and stay calm. Let the earthquake pass until then keep hiding in the safe spot. Once over, come out to evaluate the situation and take appropriate actions.
3. How to mitigate the effects of an earthquake?
Prevention is better than cure. It is always a better idea to take necessary actions before an earthquake has struck. In the first place, send a copy of all your documents to someone reliable. In case of an earthquake that destroys your important documents, there would always remain a facility to retrieve them. Research and know if your city is in a seismic zone. One should also take note of earthquakes during the construction of a house and lay emphasis on a seismic-proof house.
4. How can one teach people about the effects of an earthquake?
There are many ways one can raise awareness about the effects of earthquakes. There is Youtube and Instagram which could be used to disseminate all the knowledge about the earthquake and its impact on humans. You can also go to schools and colleges to conduct a seminar whereby the students could be told about the mitigation and steps to take when an earthquake strikes. However before that, one must thoroughly research the topic. For this, visit www.vedntu.com and download the earthquake essay for free.
5. Who has written the Earthquake essay?
The earthquake essay provided by Vedantu is prepared by expert teachers who invest a good amount of time and effort to come up with an essay that is highly useful for the students in their personal lives as well as for their academic performance. The students can use this essay to maximize their abilities to cope with the questions on earthquakes and the earthquake itself. The essay is totally reliable and one mustn’t doubt its credibility at all.
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Earthquake Essay | Essay on Earthquake for Students and Children in English
February 13, 2024 by Prasanna
Earthquake Essay: Earthquake Essay is an important topic for students to learn about. It educates the students about what an earthquake is and its repercussions. From a geological perspective, earthquakes (Magnitude 2 and smaller) occur several hundred times a day worldwide. These earthquakes occur in very remote places and its aftereffects are nearly imperceptible. Earthquakes that are larger and more destructive (Magnitude 8 and bigger) occur with lesser frequency; typically once or twice per year.
Usually, some places are more prone to earthquakes than others. These places are often located on the intersection between tectonic plates – gigantic plates that glide over the earth’s mantle. When two of these plates grind against each other, earthquakes occur. Depending on the location of the earthquake, it can cause a lot of damage, either through tsunamis, landslides, avalanches, mudslides, or ground displacement. These can cause serious damages to life and property; it can even cripple an entire economy if the magnitude is high enough. Read on to explore more about earthquakes.
You can read more Essay Writing about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more.
Most of us are familiar with the concept of earthquakes and the dangers they pose to us. However, not everyone knows the exact definition nor its probable causes.
What is an Earthquake?
An Earthquake is defined as a phenomenon where tectonic plates slip past one another, creating seismic waves that travel through the earth’s rocks. Depending on the intensity of the earthquakes, the effects can vary from minor structural damages to buildings to complete collapse, resulting in loss of life and property. Sometimes, when an earthquake originates from the middle of the ocean, it can cause extremely large and destructive waves called tsunamis. However, an earthquake does not directly pose danger to a person; in other words, people cannot be shaken to death by an earthquake.
Understanding the Cause of Earthquakes
Now that we know what is an earthquake, we shall explore how it is caused. The earth is made up of four layers – the inner core, outer core, mantle, and crust. The mantle and the crust essentially behave as a very thin layer of shell on our planet’s surface. However, this shell is not composed of one single piece; there are several pieces that exist under the earth, each slowly sliding past one another. These pieces are called the tectonic plates. There are in fact seven tectonic plates that are found under the earth’s crust:
- African plate
- Antarctic plate
- Eurasian plate
- Indo-Australian plate
- North American plate
- Pacific plate
- South American plate
Moreover, these plates are never static, they always keep moving. Over the earth’s history, tectonic plates have merged with other plates to form even larger plates. Other tectonic plates have drifted into smaller plates and some have been even pushed under other plates (subduction). This is one of the biggest reasons why we had supercontinents in the past, and their eventual breakup into the seven continents that we know today.
When two or more tectonic plates meet, the area usually becomes a hotspot for earthquakes. The actual event is caused when these plates start slipping past one another, creating energy in the form of seismic waves. Depending on the location and magnitude, these seismic waves have the potential to absolutely decimate buildings and natural ecosystems. The area where these earthquakes are known to occur is called the geologic faults.
Where do Earthquakes Occur?
Earthquakes can occur anywhere on earth, however, it occurs in more frequency where two tectonic plates meet, especially along the fault lines. The length of fault lines varies between a few meters to hundreds of kilometres. Most of the world’s earthquakes occur in a place called the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Ocean. The Belt traces boundaries between many tectonic plates, as a result, there is a lot of movement. This consequently makes it geologically active and is considered a very “violent” place from a seismological perspective. Moreover, there are many underwater active volcanoes that line these boundaries, hence the name: Ring of Fire.
How is Earthquake Measured
Earthquakes are measured using a unit called Magnitude. The instrument that measures these units is called seismographs. However, scientists often prefer to use the Moment Magnitude Scale over the magnitude scale is often
Effects of Earthquakes
As stated before, earthquakes do not directly cause harm to humans. However, earthquakes can cause substantial damages to property. One of the most prominent dangers is ground displacement. Any buildings along the fault can collapse, thereby causing injury or death to humans. The effect of ground shaking as a result of seismic waves can also impact the structural integrity of buildings. Roads and bridges may not be traversable due to the damage caused.
Earthquakes also cause an event called liquefaction. This occurs when sand or soil becomes very soft when it gets mixed with groundwater. When liquefaction occurs under a building, it can cause it to tip over, sink several feet, thereby rendering the building a hazard.
Earthquakes can also cause flooding. When earthquakes rupture damns or embankments along a river, water would then flood the area, damaging property and drowning people. When earthquakes occur under the ocean, huge waves called Tsunamis can occur. These waves are extremely destructive and can destroy anything in its wake. Interestingly, when earthquakes occur near lakes, they can cause an event similar to a tsunami, but smaller in scale – it is called Seiches. They are usually only a few feet high, but they are powerful enough to flood property and cause damage.
Can we Predict Earthquakes?
Earthquakes can never be predicted with current technology. However, we can calculate the probability of an earthquake occurring in specific areas (geologically active areas).
FAQ’s on Essay on Earthquakes
Question 1. What causes an earthquake essay?
Answer: Earthquakes are caused when two or more tectonic plates meet.
Question 2. What is an earthquake?
Answer: An earthquake can be defined as the “shaking” of the earth’s surface as a result of a sudden release of energy from the lithosphere.
Question 3. What are the effects of an earthquake?
Answer: Earthquakes cause the ground to shake. More intense earthquakes can cause liquefaction, flooding, landslides and even tsunamis.
Question 4. Why are earthquakes dangerous?
Answer: Earthquakes do not directly affect humans, however, being in the wrong place can be dangerous – such as a building during an earthquake or on a beach when a tsunami occurs.
Question 5. Can earthquakes be predicted?
Answer: No, earthquakes cannot be predicted.
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