Earthquakes

and Tsunamis

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What is an Earthquake?
Ground movement caused by the sudden release of
seismic energy due to tectonic forces.
The focus of an earthquake is the
actual location of the energy
released inside the Earths crust.
The epicentre is the point on the
Earths surface directly above the
focus.

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Why do earthquakes occur?

Seismic energy is usually caused by the brittle
failure (fracturing) of rocks under stress.

Figure showing the

distribution of
earthquakes
around the globe

This commonly occurs due to movement along

tectonic plate boundaries
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Earthquake Magnitude
Magnitude

Earthquake Effects

Approx. number
each year

< 2.5

Usually not felt, but recorded

900,000

2.5-5.4

Often felt, only minor damage

30,000

5.5-6.0

Slight damage to buildings and

other structures

500

6.1-6.9

May cause a lot of damage in very

populated areas

100

7.0-7.9

Major earthquake. Serious

damage.

20

> 8.0

Great earthquake. Can be totally

destructive near the epicentre.

1 every 5-10 years

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Earthquake Hazards
These are important hazards to understand:
the natural hazard that on average kills the highest
number of people per year (> 1 million during the past
century)
commonly strikes without warning
no time for evacuation
not a predictable trend to earthquake numbers,
magnitude or location
1000's of large earthquakes every year
~ 20 are > M7.0 and these account for 90% of the energy
released and 80% of all the fatalities
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How do we mitigate the hazard from

earthquakes?
Reinforce buildings
Education
Disaster plan

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Earthquakes and Tsunamis

An earthquake under the ocean has the
potential to form a tsunami.
The earthquake must vertically displace
overlying water (extensional or
compressional faults - not transform)

Extension

Compression

Transform

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How does an earthquake form a

tsunami?

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2004 South Asian

Boxing Day event
Biggest earthquake in
40 years!
Magnitude 9.2
150 km off the west
of Northern Sumatra
Generated a
disastrous tsunami in
12 countries

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Second largest recorded earthquake

The earthquake occurred at a convergent tectonic
plate boundary (subduction zone)
An estimated 1,600 km (994 miles) of faultline
slipped about 15 m (50 ft)!
The earthquake released 20 x 1017 Joules of
energy
Equivalent to:
475,000,000 kg of TNT
23,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs!

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How do we mitigate the hazard from

tsunamis?
Monitoring
process is very technologyintensive
high costs for many poorer countries

often no technology available to

monitor local tsunamis
for example,
Papua New Guinea has no monitoring
stations
reliant on the Pacific Tsunami
Warning Center

tsunami in 1998 was not detected

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How do we mitigate the hazard from

tsunamis?
Building restrictions in
hazard prone areas
In Hawaii, Hilo harbor and
downtown was destroyed by
the tsunamis of 1946 and
1960
The town is now rebuilt on
higher ground and the
devastated area is a park
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How do we mitigate the hazard from

tsunamis?

Seawall construction
cause early wave breaking
prevent wave run up into urban areas
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How do we mitigate the hazard from

tsunamis?
Education
warning systems
evacuation plans
general understanding of
the hazards involved
Punishment
From God
45%

Natural event
35%
Bomb 20%

Population reaction:
Papua New Guinea (1998)
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