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Precis

The document discusses the threat posed by earthquakes, which are impartial and can cause immense destruction regardless of location or infrastructure. It highlights the efforts of scientists to find ways to predict and mitigate the impact of earthquakes, as well as the historical devastation caused by significant quakes. Despite the challenges, there is hope that advancements in science may lead to better protection against these natural disasters in the future.

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def146564
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28 views1 page

Precis

The document discusses the threat posed by earthquakes, which are impartial and can cause immense destruction regardless of location or infrastructure. It highlights the efforts of scientists to find ways to predict and mitigate the impact of earthquakes, as well as the historical devastation caused by significant quakes. Despite the challenges, there is hope that advancements in science may lead to better protection against these natural disasters in the future.

Uploaded by

def146564
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

There is an enemy beneath our feet - an enemy deadlier for his complete impartiality.

He recognizes no
national boundaries, no political parties. Everyone in the world is threatened by him. The enemy is the earth
itself. When an earthquake strikes, the world trembles. The power of a quake is greater than anything man
himself can produce. But today scientists are directing a great deal of their effort into finding some way of
combating earthquakes, and it is possible that at some time in the near future mankind will have discovered a
means of protecting itself from earthquakes. An earthquake strikes without warning. When it does, its power
is immense. If it strikes a modern city, the damage it causes is as great as if it has struck a primitive village.
Gas mains burst, explosions are caused & fires are started. Underground railways are wrecked. Buildings
collapse, bridges fall, dams burst, gaping crevices appear in busy streets. If the quake strikes at sea, huge tidal
waves sweep inland. If it strikes in mountain regions, avalanches roar down into the valley. Consider the
terrifying statistics from the past 1755: Lisbon, capital of Portugal - the city destroyed entirely and 450 killed.
1970: Peru: 50,000 killed. In 1968 an earthquake struck Alaska. As this is a relatively unpopulated part, only
a few people were killed. But it is likely that this was one of the most powerful quakes ever to have hit the
world. Geologists estimate that during the tremors, the whole of the state moved over 80 feet farther west
into the Pacific Ocean. Imagine the power of something that can move an entire subcontinent! This is the
problem that the scientists face. They are dealing with forces so immense that man cannot hope to resist
them. All that can be done is to try to pinpoint just where the earthquake will strike and work from there. At
least some precautionary measures can then be taken to save lives & some of the property. (330 Words)

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