01 plate tectonics (risks of living in earthquake zones)

Question 1

tsunamis

Answer 1

on the 26th of december 2004, a 9.2 magnitude earthquake occurred in the indian ocean and triggered a tsunami. most of the damage was born by low-lying coastal areas of western sumatra, indonesia which includes the city of banda aceh.

Question 2

disruption of services

Answer 2

pipes can be snapped and cables can be broken. these are all potential fire hazards. communication services are also affected. the 1995 kobe, japan earthquake damaged pipes and transmission lines and thus disrupted electricity, gas and water to about 1 million out of 1.4 million citizens.

Question 3

landslides

Answer 3

in 1970, an earthquake off the coast of peru destablised the slopes of mount huascaran, triggering a landslide. the landslide moved at speeds of 160 km/h and flattened the town of ranrahirca within seconds. it killed around 18 thousand people and a mere 200 people survived.

Question 4

destruction of properties

Answer 4

the 2011 tohoku, japan earthquake resulted in an earthquake which travelled 10 km inland and caused massive structural damage. a few hundred thousand people had to flee their homes and there was severe shortage of housing for a while.

Question 5

destruction of infrastructure

Answer 5

japan’s total cost for rebuilding after the 2011 tohoku earthquake amounted to 300 billion USD.

Question 6

loss of lives

Answer 6

2011 tohoku earthquake had an estimate 20 thousand casualties.