Earthquake Terminology & Safety Precautions

Earthquake Terminology & Glossary

Earthquake:

A sudden slipping or movement of a portion of the earth’s crust, accompanied and followed by a series of vibrations.

Aftershock:

An earthquake of similar or lesser intensity that follows the main earthquake.

Epicenter:
The place on the earth’s surface directly above the point on the fault where the earthquake rupture began. Once fault slippage begins, it expands along the fault during the earthquake and can extend hundreds of miles before stopping.

Fault:

The fracture across which displacement has occurred during an earthquake. The slippage may range from less than an inch to more than 10 yards in a severe earthquake.

Before and After Pictures of Nepal

Magnitude:

The amount of energy released during an earthquake,which is computed from the amplitude of the seismic waves. A magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter Scale indicates an extremely strong earthquake. Each whole number on the scale represents an increase of about 30 times more energy released than the previous whole number represents. Therefore, an earthquake measuring 6.0 is about 30 times more powerful than one measuring 5.0.

Seismic Waves:

Vibrations that travel outward from the earthquake fault at speeds of several miles per second. Although fault slippage directly under a structure can cause considerable damage, the vibrations of seismic waves cause most of the destruction during earthquakes.

Source : Wikipedia

Below are the steps to follow during Aftershook

Pic Source: https://twitter.com/FunnyThingsUK/status/598048616050257921

Top 5 Worst Earthquakes in World

Earthquake is also known as Tremor, quake, temblor are naturally occurred due to the sudden release of energy in the Earth crust that results in seismic waves.

Earthquakes are measured using Seismometers in magnitudes. Magnitude 3 or lower tremor are mostly weak quake and magnitude 7 or over cause serious damage over larger areas. 

Below is list of Worst Earthquakes in World.

1. 1960 Valdivia Earthquake :

1960 Valdivia Earthquake or Great Chilean earthquake of 22nd May 1960 was most powerful tremor ever recorded. The epicenter was near Lumaco approax 570 km south of Santiago.That was measured as 9.5 on Richter scale and lasted for 10 minutes. 

According to the official sources about 5,000 or 6,000 killed in this tsunami. And the loss of monetary cost ranged from US$400 million to US$800 million.

Pic Courtesy: Wikipedia

Check Pictures of Before & After Nepal Earthquake

2. 1964 Alaska Earthquake:

1964 Alaska Earthquake is also known as the Great Alaskan earthquake and Good Friday Earthquake occurred on Good Friday March 27th 1964. The epicenter of the quake was 20 km north of Prince William Sound 125 km east of Anchorage and 64 km west of Valdez. 

It was recorded as the most powerful quake in U.S. and North American history. It was measured as 9.2 on Richter scale and it lasts for 4 minutes and 38 seconds.

According to the official records 139 killed in the tremor. And the loss of monetary cost around US$311 million.

Pic Courtesy: Wikipedia

3. 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake:

The 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake is also known by the scientific community as the Sumatra Andaman Earthquake occurred on 26th December 2004 with an epicenter off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The tremor was measured as 9.1 magnitude on Richter scale and the quake was lasted around 8.3 minutes to 10 minutes.

According to the official records 228,000 to 230,000 killed in the tremor. And the loss of monetary cost around US$14 Billion.

Pic Courtesy: thelambda.ca

4. 2011 Tohoku Earthquake

The 2011 Tohoku Earthquake occurred on Friday 11th March 2011 with an epicenter approximately 70 km east of the Oshika Peninsula of Tohoku. The quake was measured as 9.0 magnitude on Richter scale. The quake was lasted around 6 minutes. 

According to the official records 15,891 killed in the tremor. And the loss of monetary cost around US$14.5 Billion.

Pic Courtesy:www.japansociety.org.uk

5. 1952 Kamchatka Earthquakes

The Kamchatka earthquake occurred on November 1952. It was measured as 9.0 magnitude on Richter scale. 

According to the official records no human causalities were recorded. And the loss of monetary cost around US$1 million.

Pic Courtesy : www.glogster.com

Prayers for everyone in Nepal.

Before and After Pictures of Nepal Earthquake

An Earthquake in Nepal has occurred on 25th April 2105, Saturday with a magnitude of 7.9 near Kathmandu.
People again felt tremor effect on 26th April 12:39 pm with a magnitude of 6.7 occurred 17 KM South of Kodari in Nepal.

Here are few pics of Before and after Earthquake in Nepal.

1. Dharahara Tower: 

Dharhara tower is also known ad Bhimsen tower was a nine-storey, 203.0 ft tall situated at the center of Sundhara in Kathmandu. 

Check Worst Earthquakes in World

2. Kathmandu Durbar Square:

Kathmandu Durbar Sqaure is also known as Maju Deval built in 1690. 

Image Courtesy : Google Search Result.