Development Studies
BINDURA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE EDUCATION FACULTY OF SCIENCE
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY NAME: REG NO* PROGRAMME COURSE NARRATION: COURSE CODE: LECTURER DUE DATE ASSIGNMENT QUESTION: EXPLAIN WHY EARTHQUAKE MAGNITUDE CAN BE A POOR GUIDE TO SEISMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT? (25). DENNIES MAUYA B1128076 DEVELOPMENT STUDIES ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS DG213 MR MAVHURA 12 OCTOBER 2012
An earthquake, which may be termed as a quake, tremor or temblor is the result of a sudden release of energy in the earth’s crust that creates seismic waves that cause a lot of destruction in the social and economic environment and the natural environment itself. The seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time. In its most general sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismic event, whether natural or caused by humans that generate seismic waves. The earthquake magnitude is a number that characterizes the relative size of an earthquake., (Guinness and Nagle 2002). The seismic hazard maps, which provide the basis of risk estimates, lead to underestimates of the casualties by more than two orders of magnitude. Hence, relying on these maps, communities were unprepared in Kashmir, India and Wenchuan of China where killer earthquakes wiped out schools, hospitals and residences, killing and injuring hundreds of thousands of people. How serious the earthquake problem is for megacities like Lima in Peru can be understood when one considers that the population is about 12 million, and, depending on the building quality, the soil conditions, and the distance from the earthquake, the number of fatalities in different districts may range from 0.5 to 4 percent— a potential death toll of 60,000 to 480,000. The looming problem is most dramatically demonstrated by our calculations of the likely fate of the children: In a worst-case scenario of a magnitude-8.5 earthquake close to the city, one must expect that about 20,000 children,
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY NAME: REG NO* PROGRAMME COURSE NARRATION: COURSE CODE: LECTURER DUE DATE ASSIGNMENT QUESTION: EXPLAIN WHY EARTHQUAKE MAGNITUDE CAN BE A POOR GUIDE TO SEISMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT? (25). DENNIES MAUYA B1128076 DEVELOPMENT STUDIES ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS DG213 MR MAVHURA 12 OCTOBER 2012
An earthquake, which may be termed as a quake, tremor or temblor is the result of a sudden release of energy in the earth’s crust that creates seismic waves that cause a lot of destruction in the social and economic environment and the natural environment itself. The seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time. In its most general sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismic event, whether natural or caused by humans that generate seismic waves. The earthquake magnitude is a number that characterizes the relative size of an earthquake., (Guinness and Nagle 2002). The seismic hazard maps, which provide the basis of risk estimates, lead to underestimates of the casualties by more than two orders of magnitude. Hence, relying on these maps, communities were unprepared in Kashmir, India and Wenchuan of China where killer earthquakes wiped out schools, hospitals and residences, killing and injuring hundreds of thousands of people. How serious the earthquake problem is for megacities like Lima in Peru can be understood when one considers that the population is about 12 million, and, depending on the building quality, the soil conditions, and the distance from the earthquake, the number of fatalities in different districts may range from 0.5 to 4 percent— a potential death toll of 60,000 to 480,000. The looming problem is most dramatically demonstrated by our calculations of the likely fate of the children: In a worst-case scenario of a magnitude-8.5 earthquake close to the city, one must expect that about 20,000 children,
References: Paul Guinness and Garrett Nagle, (2002), Advanced Geography: Concepts and Cases, Hodder Education, U.K. Max Wyss, (2012), Earthquake Hazards Seismology, American Geosciences Institute, retrieved from earthmagazine.org. on the 7th of October 2012. Reitherman, Robert (2012). Earthquakes and Engineers: An International History. Reston, VA: ASCE Press. pp. 208-209. ISBN 9780784410714. Phil Plait (2009). "Anniversary of a cosmic blast". discovermagazine.com. Retrieved on the 7th of October 2012. Simkin, Tom et al (2006). "This dynamic planet. World map of volcanoes, earthquakes, impact craters, and plate tectonics. Inset VI. Impacting extraterrestrials scar planetary surfaces". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved from www.mineralsciences.si.edu/tdpmap/pdfs/impact.pdf on the 8th of October 2012.