01 plate tectonics (factors of earthquakes)

Question 1

population density

Answer 1

in 1964 a 9.0 earthquake in alaska had only 131 casualties while the 1976 7.6 earthquake in tangshan, china has a higher death toll of at least 300 thousand. alaska has a lower population density of around 0.15 people per km2 compared to china.

Question 2

level of preparedness

Answer 2

According to BBC, in 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in haiti killed around 220 thousand people as people were not prepared with evacuation protocols etc. however, in japan where earthquakes are a frequent phenomenon, the 2011 9.0 magnitude earthquake had only around 20 thousand deaths despite the intensity of the earthquake.

Question 3

distance from epicentre

Answer 3

in the 2011 christchurch, new zealand earthquake, the town was situated a few kilometres aways and hence suffered the most damage compared to areas further out.

Question 4

time + location of occurrence

Answer 4

more than 2400 people died when an earthquake occurred a few hours after midnight in the sun moon lake region, taiwan in 1999.

Question 5

type of soil

Answer 5

in the 2011 christchurch earthquake, many buildings and houses were abandoned as the ground became unstable due to liquefaction.