Earthquakes are caused by the sudden release of built-up stress in the Earth's crust. Most earthquakes occur along fault lines in the crust where tectonic plates meet. While most earthquakes are natural, human activities such as wastewater injection and hydraulic fracturing can also trigger quakes. The Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped region around the Pacific Ocean, experiences about 90% of the world's largest quakes due to tectonic plate movement. Earthquakes can severely impact life on Earth through damage, injuries, deaths, and other hazards like tsunamis and landslides. While prediction remains difficult, early warning systems provide some communities advance notice to help minimize harm.

1. EARTHQUAKES
By Angel Ojeda
Geography 110-70
Fall 2015

2. What is it?
Earthquakes are sudden shaking, or shock of the earth’s surface. They can be natural or manmade.
Earthquakes can sometimes cause great destruction, as this is the Earth's natural way of releasing
stress. More than a million earthquakes rattle the earth each year.

3. Natural Earthquakes
Natural earthquakes occur usually where faults are located. The earth's outer layer is made up of
several pieces, called tectonic plates. The plates under the oceans are called oceanic plates and the rest
are called continental plates. These plates are always bumping into each other, pulling away from each
other, or past each other, causing earthquakes. Also, weak lines can develop in the plates, usually on
the surface of the earth and are called fault lines. Most earthquakes occur along these fault lines,
because the earth releases energy along faults.

4. Man-Made Earthquakes
Man-made earthquakes occur by either pumping wastewater deep into the ground, or by fracking.
 Some cities pump wastewater deep into the ground in order to dispose of it. When wastewater
disposal wells are drilled deep enough, they may come into contact with faults. The pumping
changes the pressure on the fault.
 Fracking is when millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals pumped underground to break
apart the rock and release the gas.

5. Where is it or Where is it Happening?
Earthquakes occur everywhere, including all continents and beneath the deep oceans. They can strike
any location at any time. About 90% of all earthquakes, and 81% of the world’s largest earthquakes
have occurred along the Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire is an area that’s along the western coast of South
and North America. It crosses over the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, runs down the eastern coast of Asia
past New Zealand and into the northern coast of Antarctica. Many earthquakes occur in this region
due to the sudden lateral or vertical movement of rock, and volcanic activity, along plate margins.

6. How does it affect life on Earth?
Life on earth is severely affected by earthquakes. An earthquake may cause injury or death, structural
damage or collapse of buildings and roads, general property damage, and can negatively impact the
economy. Earthquakes can also cause landslides, floods, fires, and tsunamis, rising the casualty toll. The
aftermath may bring disease, lack of basic necessities, and higher insurance premiums.
On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake shook northeastern Japan, unleashing a tsunami. The
number of confirmed deaths is 15,891, and more than 2,500 people are still reported missing. The total
damages from the earthquake and tsunami are estimated at $300 billion dollars.

7. Is there a problem or Issue?
The issue is that earthquakes are hard to predict. Earthquake prediction can save many lives, but
unfortunately scientists have not been able to find a way to predict them. Scientists have looked at many of
potential warning signals, including foreshocks, weird animal behavior, changes in the water table, stream
flow, well levels, and patterns of electrical currents in the ground. None of these signals have accurately
predicted an earthquake.
There is an earthquake early warning system that uses earthquake science and the technology of monitoring
systems to alert devices and people when shaking waves are generated. The seconds to minutes of advance
warning can allow people and systems to take actions to protect life and property from destructive shaking.
Residents of Tokyo received a minute of warning before the strong shaking hit the city, thanks to Japan's
earthquake early warning system. The early warning system prevented many deaths from the earthquake, by
stopping high-speed trains and factory assembly lines.

8. Solutions
 There really are no solutions in preventing natural earthquakes. What we could do is to prepare for
earthquakes by taking precautions, having safety items at home, and by making sure you have a plan.
Taking precautions can include not leaving heavy objects on shelves, and anchoring heavy furniture,
cupboards, and appliances to the walls or floor. Having safety items at home include: a fire extinguisher,
first aid kit, a battery-powered radio, a flashlight, and extra batteries. Also, having a plan should include,
knowing the earthquake plan at school or workplace, and making a plan of where to meet your family
after an earthquake. In addition people should learn first aid, learn how to turn off the gas, water, and
electricity.
 Many governments have already started to prepare for earthquakes by retrofitting old buildings to
withstand earthquakes, and constructing new buildings to withstand earthquakes.

9. Works Cited
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