What patterns do you see in the distribution of earthquakes across the continental United States?
In the United States of America, earthquakes are fairly distributed since as we can see from the information provided, from 1975 to 1995, in the whole of the US, it was only four states (Florida, Iowa, North Dakota, and Wisconsin) that did not have any earthquakes but in addition to that, the State of California seems to have the largest number of earthquakes which range at about 10,000 per year though most of them are small and are only detected using seismographs but not felt (Earthquake Facts, 2009).
Locate your home in Waco, Texas, and make a note of the relative risk to you by indicating the color where you live. The USGS also reports on earthquakes around the world. Visit this interactive map to find the latest global earthquake data from the past seven days.
There is no color where Waco Texas is located thus there is little risk of earthquakes in the area. This shows that in the last week there have not been any forms of earth movements in the area (Latest Earthquakes in the World – Past 7 days- 2009).
What patterns do you see in the distribution of earthquakes around the world?
The distribution of earthquakes in the world varies according to the region. According to the world map provided, North America and South America continents carry the heaviest burden of earthquakes followed by Asia while Africa rarely suffers from earthquakes and their effects. The highest percentage is particularly in North America where chances of an earthquake are very high compared to other continents (Latest Earthquakes in the World – Past 7 days- 2009).
Click on one of the earthquakes on the map and make a note of its magnitude and region.
The Southern Idaho earthquake had a magnitude of 3.9 and it occurred on January 26th, 2011. Idaho is located at 42.447oN and 111.542oW. The earthquake’s depth was at approximately 0.1 km though it was poorly constrained from southern Idaho, it spread to 15km WSW 257o from Georgetown 21km at SE 133o from Grace, 24km at NW 306o from Montpelier, and 190km at N9o from Salt Lake City. Its’ location uncertainty covered the horizontal ground of plus or minus 0.9km and a depth of 7.8km more or less (Earthquakes hazard program, 2010).
Would you be willing to live in one of the red areas on the map? Explain
Yes: If the only place I could live was in those areas and without living in the area it could be hard to support myself then I would rather risk my life but be armed with all the accident preventive and earthquake knowledge materials that I can access.
If you and your family were forced to relocate to a red area, how could you use the USGS resources on earthquake readiness to help your family prepare?
If we were forced to relocate to one of the red areas on the map, to help my family protect itself, I would make it aware to everybody in case of an earthquake, no one is supposed to hind behind the door like most of the times the door may swing and injure someone rather one should find a safe place under the furniture in the house where he or she can stay under until the tremors are over.
The next step would be to equip our household with emergency supplies such as a fire extinguisher which could help in fighting the fire in case it broke out during an earthquake. Other emergency supplies that I should be equipped with include a first aid kit and a handbook with the procedures, flashlights with extra bulbs and batteries to give light incase the earthquake occurred during the night and the power broke. We can also arm ourselves with plastic bags for waste disposal to avoid contamination and spread of contagious diseases during the period which follows thereafter. These are among other items I would be equipped with. Relocation to an earthquake-prone area would also mean planning. For example, every family member should know where the gas, power, and water appliances are turned off and how they are turned off to avoid accidents that occur as a result of earthquakes such as fire and drowning, or even electrocution. In case of an earthquake, we will also plan where we could reunite if dispersed by an earthquake. Because the transport network may be disrupted, it is always important to arm oneself with extra emergency supplies of food, medicine, and so on.
To help my family during an earthquake, I would direct the family members as per the USGS guidelines that in case one is indoors, he or she should remain there and should make sure they are away from fireplaces and places like the kitchen where many things can fall on them. In case one is outdoors, one should try as quickly as possible to stay in an open place where there are no dangers of buildings collapsing, or trees falling on them. In case one is driving, stop but do it carefully, never stop your vehicle on the bridge, under trees, electric, or any type of standing posts.
During an earthquake, the following are some of the things I will have directed my family never to do starting with never to turn on the gas or light matches as they may cause explosions if there was gas leaking. No use of telephones unless it’s an emergency because one may tie up the lines needed for emergency and you should try and help yourself out but not wait on the firefighters or the police as none may be available at that time.
After an earthquake, everybody should always wear shoes that are sturdy to avoid injuries. In case someone is bleeding, using the first aid kit we can use a clean cloth to clean the wound and in case one is seriously injured, he or she should not be moved until the paramedics reach and direct so as long as there is no danger where the person is lying. No matter how someone is hungry, the food is likely to have been contaminated and thus there should be no eating (Earthquake preparedness, 2009).
Examine the list of the most destructive earthquakes on record: What are the two most recent earthquakes on this list? What does this list tell you about the power of science to control or predict earthquakes?
The two most recent earthquakes from the record are the Eastern Sichuan, China earthquake which occurred on 12th May 2008 at a magnitude of 7.9 and killed approximately 87587 people. The effects of this earthquake were also felt in Bangladesh, Taiwan, and Vietnam among other countries that border China.
The most recent one occurred in Haiti on 12th January 2010 it was of magnitude 7 and killed at least 222,570 people. According to the official estimates, a further 300,000 people were injured and more than 1.3 million being displaced. The effects of this earthquake were also felt in the Bahamas, Puerto Rico among other countries neighboring Haiti (Earthquakes with 50,000 or More Deaths, 2009).
Scientists cannot predict the occurrence of an earthquake neither can they estimate but control the earthquake, since the hypocenter of the earthquake is located way below the ground and the magnitude is something they cannot control.
Even though science cannot predict or prevent earthquakes, what seismological tools do we have to sense the planet’s rumblings? What events do you think might have encouraged the development of these tools?
The tools which exist to sense planet rumblings are the seismograph machine. Which is a device created to collect and record any vibration that the earth makes? Other tools used include trucks, planes, and also computers for experimental factors to record the ground vibrations.
The losses of life which have been experienced due to earthquakes led to the desire to know what causes earthquakes and how it can be measured to be able to predict what the likely effects could result since the intensity of an earthquake varies with the distance from the hypocenter.
How is this kind of geological energy different from biological energy (such as the calorie creatures get when they consume food)? How are they the same?
Geological energy is the energy released by the natural forces of the earth such as earth movements, hurricanes, and the sun while biological energy is derived from living things such as the energy we get from plants and animals when we consume food. Geological energy can also be classified as hydrothermal and tectonic while biological is chemical. The similarity between the two forms of energy is that they can be transformed into beneficial forms and they are both exothermic.
Reference List
United States Geological Survey (2009). Earthquake Facts. Web.
United States Geological Survey (2009). Latest Earthquakes in the World – Past 7 days. Web.
United States Geological Survey (2009). Earthquake Hazard Program. Web.
United States Geological Survey. (2009). Earthquakes with 50,000 or More Deaths. Web.
United States Geological Survey. (2009). Earthquake preparedness. Web.