Case studies

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LEDC: Sichuan Provence, China 2008 MEDC: L’Aquila, Italy 2009
Facts:

  • It measured 7.9 on the Richter scale.
  • 14:28 on May 12th 2008
  • Sichuan province in southern china.
 Facts:

  • 6.3 On the Richter scale
  • 6th April at 1:30 local time the earthquake struck.

 
Cause of the Earthquake:

 

A collision Plate boundary. The Indian Plate and the Eurasian plate meet head on.

 Cause of the Earthquake:

  • It was caused collision between the Eurasian plate and the African plate.

 
Primary Effects:

  • Communications were knocked down.
  • Nearly 400,000 people were injured
  • 5 million buildings collapsed
  • 70,000 people died including 19,000 were identified as school children.
  • +5 million were made homeless.
  • Roads were blocked by landslides.
 Primary Effects:

  • 58 Thousands were made homeless.
  • 300 people died.
  • 1500 were injured
  • 88,000 people left unemployed
  • 28,000 people couldn’t get to University

 
Secondary Effects:

  • The landslides blocked rivers and caused some flooding
  • The parents protested angrily about cheap buildings and lax building codes of schools.
 Secondary Effects:

  • 100,000 people have requested a grant but, only 70,000 received one.

 
Immediate responses:

  • The Chinese Government pledged $123 million.
  • Food, Medicine and clean water and over 3 million tents were provided.
  • The government asked for international aid.
  • 20 helicopters were assigned to rescue.
 Immediate responses:

  • Phone companies allowed the survivors in the area to send messages and call for free.
  • Billing of many companies were suspended.
  • Train services were offered for free.
Long-term responses:

  • The Chinese government has pledged to build 1 million small temporary homes by 2011.
  • Banks have written off debts owed by survivors without insurances.
 Long-term responses:

  • Government to pay for 100% of rebuilding and reconstruction.
  • New towns to be funded by the government to create economic growth.

Tsunami

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A tsunami is a huge wave, usually caused by volcanic or earthquake activity under the sea, which eventually reach the shoreline. The effects can be devastating on communities.

When an earthquake, volcano or landslide happens on the ocean floor the water is displaced. This water forms the start of a community.

When waves reach shallower water:

  • Their height increases
  • The shallow water slows the wave.
  • The waves get closer together.

It is hard to see that a tsunami is approaching, the most obvious sign is the coastal water retreats just before the waves reach the shore. This is actually the trough of the wave following behind.

How do we measure earthquakes?

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An earthquake is a sudden and brief period of intense ground shaking. The place where the earthquake begins is called the focus. The deeper the focus the less damage caused. The point directly above the focus called the epicentre. Radiating out from this point are shockwaves.

Primary  shockwaves cause the surface to move backwards and forwards whilst secondary waves cause the ground to move from side to side. The last type of waves to arrive are those at the surface, longitudinal and transverse waves. Longitudinal waves cause the ground to move up and down whilst transverse waves move the ground from side to side.

There are 2 ways of measuring earthquakes one is the Mercalli scale and the Richter scale. The richter scale scientifically measures the magnitude of the earthquake whilst the mercalli scale mesures the damage seen by a person, so it is opinion based.

Volcanoes and people

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Why do 500 million people live by an active volcano?

  • Volcanic soil contains many minerals
  • Many tourists visit volcanoes because they are considered beautiful
  • Geysers and Hot springs also occur in the area.
  • Geothermal energy can be used as central heating
  • The volcanic soil also is very fertile
  • With modern technology people feel safe living next to an active volcano
  • Some people are too poor to live elsewhere

 

Conservative plate boundaries

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Convection currents move the plates in a similar direction to each other but slightly different so they tend to get stuck and pressure builds up. The release of this pressure causes an earthquake.

An example of this is the San Andreas fault line where the pacific plate is moving in a similar direction to the north American plate but at a different angle and speed.

destructive plate margins

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Convection currents in the mantle cause the plates to move together. If one is oceanic crust and the other from continental crust then the denser oceanic crust subducts. The oceanic crust is then melted into magma and this causes a build-up of magma which becomes a volcano. The plates get caught and cause earthquakes as the heavier oceanic plate goes under the lighter continental plate.

If two continental plates collide neither subducts which means that earthquakes are caused however because no extra magma is created so there are no volcanoes made. This is called a collision boundary.

Destructive plate margin