
Contents
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The shaking Earth The shaking Earth
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Quakes and plates Quakes and plates
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Earthquake prediction—Holy grail or poisoned chalice Earthquake prediction—Holy grail or poisoned chalice
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Earthquakes don’t kill people: Buildings kill people Earthquakes don’t kill people: Buildings kill people
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Tsunamis—the sting in the tail Tsunamis—the sting in the tail
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Where next? Where next?
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Cite
Abstract
Earthquakes are our planet’s way of releasing strain accumulated as a consequence of the relative movements of the tectonic plates. In doing so, they take an enormous toll on lives and livelihoods, to the extent that they are responsible—on average—for around 20,000 deaths a year. Earthquakes can happen anywhere on the planet, but the deadliest occur around the Pacific Rim and in a band stretching from southern Europe eastwards through central Asia and into China. Major submarine earthquakes on so-called mega-thrusts can trigger tsunamis that can take many tens of thousands of lives. Most people who die in earthquakes, however, do so due to building collapse, which is almost entirely the result of poor construction, leading to buildings that are unable to withstand the strong ground shaking caused by powerful seismic waves. The size of an earthquake is denoted by its Moment Magnitude, while the intensity of shaking is determined using the Modified Mercalli Scale. The locations of future earthquakes may be narrowed down by looking for seismic gaps, where a quake has not happened for longer than expected. Although there are sometimes precursory warning signs it is not, however, possible to accurately predict an earthquake, and it may never be possible. Consequently, the only way to reduce their impact is to build better, ensuring that structures are life-safe so that they stay upright when the ground shakes.
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