Earthquake Prediction Essay
With reference of one or more examples of earthquakes, assess the extent to which attempts at prediction and mitigation may have influenced the impact of the hazard.
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth’s crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquake is a major threat to the human and natural environments, in which people died, buildings collapsed and cities destroyed. Prediction and mitigation are usually conducted in order to reduce the impact of an earthquake on environment. Earthquake prediction can be carried out with seismic monitoring using tiltmeters. Hazard mapping is another way to predict the impact of an earthquake and can be used for planning purposes. Mitigation includes the aseismic building design, land-use planning, community preparedness as well as insurance and aid. With a few examples on prediction and mitigation, it is clear that successful prediction can largely reduce the impact on human environment although few have succeeded so far; but mitigation can be carried out before the earthquake and can also alleviate the human losses. However, the influence on physical environment is not as significant as that on human environment.
Haicheng Earthquake in 1975 was the first successful example of earthquake prediction in history. It is located in Liaoning, Northeast China and the earthquake caused more than 2 000 fatalities. In 1970, Liaoning was listed as one of the key areas for earthquake monitoring and protection by China Earthquake Administration (CEA). A few geologists predicted that a major earthquake with magnitude larger than 6.0 was going to occur in 2 years in this region. Middle-term (2~3years) and short-term (2~3months) forecasting was conducted and the local government announced several earthquake preventive measures in January, 1975. Factories, and companies were closed down; all entertainments were banned to ensure people’s safety. In the preceding months, changes in land elevation and groundwater
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth’s crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquake is a major threat to the human and natural environments, in which people died, buildings collapsed and cities destroyed. Prediction and mitigation are usually conducted in order to reduce the impact of an earthquake on environment. Earthquake prediction can be carried out with seismic monitoring using tiltmeters. Hazard mapping is another way to predict the impact of an earthquake and can be used for planning purposes. Mitigation includes the aseismic building design, land-use planning, community preparedness as well as insurance and aid. With a few examples on prediction and mitigation, it is clear that successful prediction can largely reduce the impact on human environment although few have succeeded so far; but mitigation can be carried out before the earthquake and can also alleviate the human losses. However, the influence on physical environment is not as significant as that on human environment.
Haicheng Earthquake in 1975 was the first successful example of earthquake prediction in history. It is located in Liaoning, Northeast China and the earthquake caused more than 2 000 fatalities. In 1970, Liaoning was listed as one of the key areas for earthquake monitoring and protection by China Earthquake Administration (CEA). A few geologists predicted that a major earthquake with magnitude larger than 6.0 was going to occur in 2 years in this region. Middle-term (2~3years) and short-term (2~3months) forecasting was conducted and the local government announced several earthquake preventive measures in January, 1975. Factories, and companies were closed down; all entertainments were banned to ensure people’s safety. In the preceding months, changes in land elevation and groundwater