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  • Characteristics of Earthquakes

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    Vinay Chandwani
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    Earthquakes occur suddenly and without warning, though aftershocks may indicate further seismic activity. They originate along faults in the earth's crust where rocks slide past each other, building strain energy for years before releasing it instantly. While earthquake prone areas are known, the exact timing, location, and magnitude of future quakes cannot be predicted. During an earthquake, both body and surface waves cause the ground and structures to shake in different motions, from a brief initial jolt to longer period swaying, sometimes over great distances from the epicenter. Major earthquakes are usually short but can cause severe damage to buildings and infrastructure as well as loss of life.

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    Earthquakes occur suddenly and without warning, though aftershocks may indicate further seismic activity. They originate along faults in the earth's crust where rocks slide past each other, building strain energy for years before releasing it instantly. While earthquake prone areas are known, the exact timing, location, and magnitude of future quakes cannot be predicted. During an earthquake, both body and surface waves cause the ground and structures to shake in different motions, from a brief initial jolt to longer period swaying, sometimes over great distances from the epicenter. Major earthquakes are usually short but can cause severe damage to buildings and infrastructure as well as loss of life.

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    23 views1 page

    Characteristics of Earthquakes

    Uploaded by

    Vinay Chandwani
    Earthquakes occur suddenly and without warning, though aftershocks may indicate further seismic activity. They originate along faults in the earth's crust where rocks slide past each other, building strain energy for years before releasing it instantly. While earthquake prone areas are known, the exact timing, location, and magnitude of future quakes cannot be predicted. During an earthquake, both body and surface waves cause the ground and structures to shake in different motions, from a brief initial jolt to longer period swaying, sometimes over great distances from the epicenter. Major earthquakes are usually short but can cause severe damage to buildings and infrastructure as well as loss of life.

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    EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING MTech II SEMESTER CHARACTERISTICS OF EARTHUAKES

    Earthquakes occur sudden by with little or no warning. However, following a major earthquake, the after-shocks may sometimes indicate the likelihood of a further earthquake. On some occasions, an earthquake may be preceded by a less intense tremors or foreshocks. The basic characteristics of an earthquake are the following: It is not yet possible to predict magnitude, time and place of occurrence of an earthquake. The onset is usually sudden. Earthquakes occur along faults, which are fractures or fracture zones in the earth across which there may be relative motion. If the rocks across a fault are forced to slide past one another, they do so in a strike-slip fashion; that is, they accumulate strain energy for centuries or millennia, and then release it almost instantaneously. The energy released radiates outward from the source, or focus, as a series of waves - an earthquake. Earthquake prone areas are generally well identified and well known on the basis of geological features and past occurrences of earthquakes. Ground shaking is caused by body waves and surface waves. Body waves (P and S waves) penetrate the body of the earth, vibrating fast. P waves traveling at about 6 km per hour provide the initial jolt and cause buildings to vibrate in an up and down motion. S waves, traveling about 4 km per second in a movement similar to a rope snapped like a whip, because a typically sharper jolt that vibrates structures from side to side and typically causes even greater damage. S waves are usually the most destructive. Surface waves vibrate the ground horizontally and vertically. These long-period waves cause swaying of tall buildings and slight wave motion in bodies of water even at great distances from the epicenter A major earthquake is usually rather short in duration, often lasting only a few seconds and seldom more than a minute or so Major effects arise mainly from ground movement and fracture or slippage of rocks underground. The obvious effects include damage (usually very severe) to buildings and infrastructures along with considerable casualties. About 200 large magnitude earthquake (M>6.0) occur in a decade. The world's earthquake problem seems to be increasing with the increased population, high rise buildings and crowded cities.
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