ARTICLE
Earthquakes can be one of nature’s most devastating natural disasters, which
not only affect the earth at the time of impact, causing damage with seismic
waves, but can have lasting effects on the landscape and surrounding areas
as the earth shifts, tilts or drops unexpectedly.
When energy waves, also known as seismic energy, ripples through the under
layers of the Earth and makes their way to the surface, the energy can be felt
in the form of an earthquake. Usually, this means that the Earth’s crust is
shifted or displaced in some way. Sometimes, the earth will fold or buckle, and
in other cases, sections of earth will lift or drop along fault lines and fissures.
Because of this, earthquakes can have lasting and devastating effects on their
surrounding areas. Not only can the shift itself cause damage and danger in
the moment, but this altering of the geographical landscape can cause ripple
effects and long lasting consequences for the area. Whether they are short
term or long term, there are a variety of ways in which earthquakes can affect
the landscape, wildlife and human life in an impacted area.
Contents:
Ground Surface Deformation
Buildings And Infrastructure Damage
Landslides
Tsunamis
Flash Floods
Fires
Ground Surface Deformation
Cracks on the asphalt road seen after an earthquake hit Portoviejo, Ecuador. Image credit:
Fotos593/Shutterstock.com
This shifting of the Earth’s crust, in relation to earthquakes and seismic activity
is often referred to as ground surface deformation or ground rupture. This
refers to the resulting changes, fractures or ruptures which occur in or on the
surface of the Earth in any given area, after it is exposed to severe seismic
activity. The severity of the impact and damage is determined by not only the
magnitude of the earthquake - i.e. the intensity of the seismic waves - but also
the distance of a given area from the epicenter of the quake, and the
geomorphologic and geological landscape of the area.
Different types of seismic waves also affect the earth differently. Surface
waves can be either Rayleigh waves or love waves, and these are the types
of seismic activity that cause damage to the Earth’s surface. Rayleigh waves
move in a rolling, circular formation, longitudinally, compressionaly, and with
dilation all at the same time. Love waves only move in two directions instead
of three, but can be equally destructive. These waves move backwards and
forwards in a jerking motion, perpendicularly to the source of the earthquake.
This often causes breaks and fracturing in the crust.
Buildings and Infrastructure
Damage
Destruction caused by earthquake on February 22, 2011, in Christchurch, New Zealand. Image credit:
Darrenp/Shutterstock.com
Most obviously, earthquakes can have an impact on human life and man-
made structures. As the ground moves, shakes and shifts, there is a
significant risk to human life most often from debris and collapse of buildings
and structures. While some buildings are made with fault lines and seismic
activity in mind, few can withstand strong quakes, and will often buckle, shake
and collapse under such activity. This causes significant property damage to
everything from homes to office buildings, roads, bridges, transport lines and
a variety of manmade infrastructure. Property and structural damage can
cause hazards to humans and animals, as well as cause significant financial
problems to companies or governments that then have to repair or rebuild
after a major incident.
Landslides
Earthquakes often trigger sudden landslides that are deadly in nature. Image credit: Lucky Team
Studio/Shutterstock.com
Not only can earthquakes cause immediate and intense damage to the
Earth’s surface due to shakes, fractures and faults, but this shifting of the
Earth can create ripple effects which cause other geographically destructive
phenomena. One such common result is a landslide. Landslides follow
earthquakes as the shaking and shifting of the earth’s surface and crust due
to shock waves cause earth on hills, mountains and cliffs to break free or
become dislodged. In these cases large sections of earth, mud or rock can
break free and fall to lower ground. In some cases, entire hillsides with
settlements or buildings built into them can fall away, causing loss of life,
injury, and mass property damage.
This is seen time and time again throughout history. As recently as October
2019, Cotabato in the Philippines experienced three successive earthquakes,
all of which triggered large fatal landslides.
Tsunamis
The tragic sight of the Banda Aceh City destroyed by the Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami disaster that
happened on December 26, 2004. Image credit: Frans Delian/Shutterstock.com
Tsunamis are one of Earth’s other great natural disasters, and unfortunately,
they often go hand in hand with earthquakes. While the name earthquake
brings to mind shifting of the earth itself, seismic activity can also occur in the
crust below sea level. This seismic activity is usually harmless, in that it
ripples out and dissipates within the ocean, but if the seismic activity occurs
closer to a shoreline or in shallower waters, it can create giant and highly
destructive waves. In this way, tsunamis often follow earthquakes, and almost
exclusively ones that register as 7.5 or higher on the richter scale.
Diagram showing how earthquakes triggering tsunamis. Image credit: Designua/Shutterstock.com
Tsunami waves are huge ocean waves that can travel great distances at
alarming speed. A tsunami wave can travel anywhere from 500 to 800
kilometers per hour, but slow as they reach the shore. Unfortunately, this
slowing down does not make them less dangerous, as the wave actually
grows in size as its speed decreases. A wave from a tsunami can easily reach
over 100 feet tall in cases of strong seismic activity, and reach a shoreline
with alarming force and speed. These waves often travel outward from an
epicenter, and can have devastating effects on coastlines as the tremendous
force of water overwhelms coastlines, drowning anything in its path.
Two of the most devastating tsunamis in recorded history have occurred in the
last 20 years. In 2004, the world was shocked by a 9.1 magnitude earthquake
off the coast of Sumatra which devastated locals and vacationers on
December 26th. The primary wave measured upwards of 50 m, resulting in
roughly 230.000 deaths and $10billion USD in damages. Similarly, 2011 saw
a 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit offshore Japan, a catastrophe resulting in a
10m high wave that reportedly moved at a speed as great as 800km/hr. This,
in turn, brought about a nuclear power plant leak, a mass evacuation of
452,000 people, and damages over $235 billion USD.
Flash Floods
Earthquakes can trigger flash floods that cause loss of lives and property. Image credit: Muhammad Izzat
Termizie/Shutterstock.com
Similar to landslides or tsunamis, floods can occur following an earthquake.
While tsunamis create giant waves that can flood coastlines and
harbours,which in turn results in mass flooding, flash floods are often the
result of breaking dams. These can be either man made or natural dams, but
the results are the same - if a dam is damaged due to an earthquake, large
volumes of water can be unexpectedly released, flooding residential areas
with mass amounts of pooled water from held reservoirs.
Similarly, earthquakes can disrupt rivers and natural bodies of water, causing
redirection over natural flood plains. This can be caused by drops, cracks or
breaks in the earth, which allow or force the water to take new paths, or by
blockages. Blockages occur when debris or some other obstruction prevents a
river or body of water from flowing down its natural course. These blockages
force the water to follow a new path, often causing flash floods. This can be
destructive to human settlements, but also natural landscapes, ecosystems
and wildlife.
Additionally, when earthquakes cause landslides, water from either the
underground water table, or nearby water sources can mix with soil and mud
to create dangerous landslide/flood combinations, which can whip out
settlements, drown roads, and flood various types of human infrastructure.
Fires
San Francisco in flames after April 18, 1906 earthquake. Image source: Everett Collection/Shutterstock.com
Another major side effect of earthquakes are fires. In the past, earthquake
induced fires caused high death tolls and destruction as in-home flames like
fireplaces, candles or gas lamps were disrupted, and readily available fuels
caught fire.
In the United States, the biggest example of such an incident was in 1906,
when an earthquake caused fires that destroyed much of San Francisco. Over
a century later, such hazards have been greatly reduced, and firefighting
technology has also improved, but the risk of fires post earthquake still
remains. In more modern times, fire hazards include electrical wires, blast
furnaces, gas leaks and reactors.
Another issue with fires that occur during earthquakes is that it can be very
difficult to put them out in a normal or efficient manner. Sometimes, water
pipelines can crack or burst due to the earthquake itself, or in other cases it is
merely a logistical issue, where workers and trucks are unable to easily
access the fires or water supplies as roads are torn up, or debris has
restricted normal movement. Both this and the increase in potential fires can
cause further damage to areas hit by earthquakes.
