A Discussion On Earthquakes :: essays research papers

A Discussion On EarthquakesPerhaps Mother Nature offers no greater long suit than that of the earthquake.Across the span of time, earthquakes have been recorded for their incredibledestructive forces, and their abilities to awe mankind with their unparalleledforce. Earthquakes contribute often strike without any nonice, leveling openhanded citiesand killing scores of innocent people. Not only can earthquakes bring harm tosociety through these methods of destruction, but they can also cause millionsof dollars expense of damage to the areas they destroy, causing economic chaos.An earthquake is a natural phenomenon, occurring throughout the history of theworld. Descriptions as old as recorded history show the important effectsearthquakes have had on peoples lives. Long before there were scientifictheories for the cause of earthquakes, people slightly the world created folkloreto explain them. Until recent times, science has not had a completeunderstanding of how earthquakes are cause, and what can be done to predictwhen they will strike. This essay will discuss how earthquakes are formed andoccur, how scientists can more accurately predict the arrival of earthquakes.Before contemplating how earthquakes might possibly be prevented, it isessential that the process and formation of and earthquake be understood.Earthquakes are caused when the earths crustal plates move, rub, or pushagainst each other. The earths crust (the outer layer of the earth) is made upof seven major plates and approximately thirteen smaller ones. The name plateis used to describe these portions of the earths crust because they areliterally plates or sections, composed of dirt and rock. These plates floaton molten lava, called magma. Since the plates are floating on magma, they can slow move. The place where friction occurs between plates is called a fault.A fault is a crack in a plate or a place where ii or more plates meet. Anexample of a fault where two plates meet is the San Andreas fault in California,where the Pacific and North American plates meet. The plates are about 30miles thick under land and can be one to five miles thick beneath the ocean.The plates move because of convection currents. Magma has currents like theocean does, that move in a circular motion beneath the plates. When two platesare pushing against each other, they are constantly building up tension on thefault. When two plates at last slip, they release a great amount of energy inthe form of shock waves. These shock waves cause vibrations, which in turncause the ground around the fault line to move and shake.