GG231 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: San Andreas Fault, Earthquake-Resistant Structures, Oceanic Crust
Document Summary
Module 1: risks and disasters arising via geological. Earthquakes are one of the most destructive hazards. With little warning the shaking of a quake can reduce buildings in a matter of seconds and lead to the death of many. We have a good knowledge of the general regions where they should occur but trying to determine forecasts that will protect people is a greater challenge. Also elusive is educating the public on the magnitude of danger many areas within earthquake zones are experiencing. Although this quake was relatively low in magnitude at 7. 0 (you will learn later what this means) and smaller than others, it is one of the deadliest disasters in recent history with 240,000 fatalities and another 300,000 injured. The collapse of buildings is one of the major primary impacts from earthquakes and leads to the greatest number of deaths. Studying and designing earthquake resistant structures will help to reduce the extent of the disaster in future quakes.