Earthquake

An earthquake is a sudden, powerful shaking of the ground that typically arises from volcanic eruptions or disturbances in the earth’s crust. Earthquakes can vary  in impact  from those that have  little impact that no one can feel them to those that have  strong impact , which is enough to uproot entire cities,  and wreck key infrastructure.

During an earthquake, energy is released instantly from deformed rocks, which causes the ground to shake or tremble. Regardless of the time of year, earthquakes can strike suddenly without any warning, resulting in insignificant damages to property and lives. The intensity of an earthquake is linked to the amount of energy released when rocks give way to the forces within the earth. Using an instrument called a seismograph, it can be detected. A Richter scale is used to measure intensity (named after its inventor, C.F. Richter).

Causes: Earthquakes are natural ways of discharging energy from the earth. Earthquakes occur where geological faults are present. These faults have already been identified.

Effects: 

• • Earthquakes may lead to physical damage to buildings, roads, dams, and monuments. High rise buildings or buildings built on weak foundations are specifically susceptible to earthquake damage.
  • Electronics, furniture, and other household items are damaged.
  • A collapsed building can cause death or serious injury to people or livestock, making outbreaks of diseases like cholera, diarrhoea, and infectious diseases more likely.
  • Damage to the infrastructure of water supply, sewerage, communications, electrical power lines, transportation network, and railways.

Due to a surge in development activities brought on by urbanisation, economic expansion, and the globalisation of India’s economy, the risk of earthquakes has increased. The usage of high-tech machinery and tools in manufacturing and service sectors has increased, making them more vulnerable to interruption from relatively mild ground shaking. As a result, the risk of an earthquake no longer only depends on the death toll. After an earthquake, severe financial losses that cause the local or regional economy to collapse could have long-term negative effects on the entire nation.