How big are Earthquakes?
By: Andrew, Mitch, and Ryan
Earthquakes are a part of our world. They happen every year and can cause great damage. But how big is the average earthquake?
Well, on average there are about 1500 earthquakes happening each year since 1990. Most of these earthquakes measure between 5.0 and 7.9. There are said to be millions of earthquakes happening all over the world each year but the happen in remote areas, or do not reach 5.0 on the richer scale.
Earthquake occurring in a densely populated area.
That being said the most common earthquakes that occur each year reach a magnitude of 5.0 to 5.9. An earthquake of this size, can be felt shaking, but is not powerful enough to cause major damage to buildings, landforms, and structures.
Earthquakes can happen anywhere anytime, and are caused by the friction of tectonic plates colliding. There are many different kinds of earthquakes, and these are determined by how the plates collide with each other. If one of the plates slips below the other it is called a normal fault. If a plate pushes above the other it is called a reverse fault. Finally, if two plates rub against each other sideways, it is called a strike slip.
Diagram of a strike slip fault. During the earthquake, the ground slides as the plates moves past each other.
The type of fault that causes the most damage is the strike slip fault. These faults are known to be able to cause size 8.0 earthquakes. Strike slip faults are found all over the world and some of the most famous faults are strike slip. The San Andreas fault found on the west coast of North America is a strike slip fault. Other well known strike slip faults include the alpine fault, the Denali fault, and the great glen fault.
Photos from:
No comments:
Post a Comment