Earthquake Hazards

EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS
Objectives
 Define earthquake.
 Enumerate the different potential earthquake
hazards
 Explain the importance of knowing this
potential earthquake hazards
How will you describe an earthquake?
 Earthquake – is also known as quake,

tremor or tremblor.
 It is the perceptible shaking of the
sjurface of the Earth, resulting from the
sudden release of energy in the Earth’s
crust that creates seismic waves.
Potential Earthquake Hazards
 Geologistsexplain that an earthquake is

a type of hazard that depends on the
strength of seismic activity, along with
such factors as local topographic and
built features, subsurface geology and
groundwater.
1. Ground shaking or ground motion
 The Earth shakes with the passage of the

earthquake waves, which radiate energy that
had been “stored” in stressed rocks, and were
released when a fault broke and the rocks
slipped to relieve the pent-up stress.
 Strength of ground shaking is measure in the
velocity of ground motion, the acceleration of
ground motion, the frequency content of the
shaking, and how long the shaking continues.
2. Ground or Surface rupture
 Surface rupture is an offset of the ground

surface when fault rupture extends to the
Earth’s surface.
 Normal and reverse (collectively dip-slip)
faulting surface ruptures feature vertical
offsets while strike slip faulting lateral offsets.
 Many earthquake surface ruptures are
combination of both.
Ground or Surface Rupture
Ground or Surface Rupture
3. Liquefaction
 Soil liquefaction is a phenomenon in

which the strength and stiffness of a soil
is reduced but earthquake shaking or
other rapid loading.
 It normally occurs in saturated soils, that
is, soils in which the space between
individual particles are completely filled
with water.
Liquefaction
4. Earthquake-induced ground
subsidence and lateral spreading
 Subsidence or lowering of the ground
surface, often occurs during earthquakes.
This may be due to the downward vertical
displacement on one side of a fault, and can
sometimes affect a huge area of land.
 Lateral spreading occurs where sloping
ground starts to move downhill, causing
cracks to open up, that are often seen along
hill crest and river banks.
Lateral Spreading
Ground Subsidence
5. Earthquake induced landslides
 Landslides are frequently triggered by strong

ground motions. They are important
secondary earthquake hazard.
 The term landslides includes a wide range of
ground movement, such as rock falls, deep
failure of faults of slopes and shallow debris
flows.
Earthquake induced landslides
6. Tsunami
 A tsunami is also known as a seismic sea wave, is

a series of waves in a water body caused by the
displacement of a large volume of water,
generally in an ocean or large lake.
 Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other
underwater explosions (including detonations of
underwater nuclear devices), landslides, glacier
cavings, meteorite impacts and other
disturbances above or below water all have the
potential to generate tsunami.
Tsunami
Natural Signs of an Impending
Tsunami
1. Animal Behavior
Some zoologists hypothesize that
some animal species like elephants
have the ability to sense subsonic
Rayleigh waves from an earthquake
or a tsunami.
Natural Signs of an Impending
Tsunami
 Drawback
 It is an observable natural sign of an
impending tsunami that is noteworthy. In
fact, drawback can serve as a brief warning
How drawbacks were formed?
 All waves have positive and negative peak,

ridge and trough. In the case of propagating
wave like tsunami, either may be first to arrive.
If the first part to arrive at the shore is a ridge, a
massive breaking wave or sudden flooding will
be first effect noticed on land. However, if the
first to arrive at the shore is the trough,
drawback will occur at the shoreline recedes
dramatically, exposing normally submerged
areas..
 Drawback can exceeds hundreds of meters,

and people unaware of the danger sometimes
remain near the shore to satisfy their curiosity
or to collect fish from the exposed seabed.
 A typical wave period for a damaging tsunami
is about 12 minutes. This means that if the
drawback phase is the first part of the wave to
arrive, the sea will recede, with areas below
sea level exposed after 3 minutes.
 During the next six minutes, the tsunami

wave trough builds into a ridge, during this
time the sea is filled in and destruction occurs
on land. During the next 6 minutes, the
tsunami wave changes from a ridge to a
trough, causing flood waters to drain and
drawback to occur again. This may sweep
victims and debris some distance from land.
This process repeats as the next wave arrives.
Preventive Measures before, during
and after an Earthquake
 1. Beware of falling objects. Be alert
and keep your eyes open
 2. Do not enter damage building
 3. Share your acquired knowledge and
skills to your family and friends.
 4. Stay away from glass windows,
shelves, cabinets and other heavy
objects.
 5. Take the fastest and safest way out of
the building
 6. Participate in government initiated
earthquake drills and evacuation drills.
 7. Stay indoors if you are within
structurally sound building or home.
 8. Do not use elevators

Earthquake Hazards

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EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS

 Earthquake – is also known as quake,

 Geologistsexplain that an earthquake is

 The Earth shakes with the passage of the

 Surface rupture is an offset of the ground

 Soil liquefaction is a phenomenon in

 Landslides are frequently triggered by strong

 A tsunami is also known as a seismic sea wave, is

 All waves have positive and negative peak,

 Drawback can exceeds hundreds of meters,

 During the next six minutes, the tsunami

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