Harmful Disaster,

Earthquake Or Tsunami ?
(Thomas Rocky Roganda Nainggolan - A020048)

There are two disasters that often hit Indonesia, namely earthquakes and tsunamis, which one has
more impact?. Because Indonesia is a country that is crossed by tectonic plates except for the island of
Kalimantan, so that Indonesia is known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. This ring of fire that connects volcanic
activity runs from Indonesia to Japan, then connects with Alaska through the western part of America to
South America. This ring of fire is also known as the great circle of magma and Indonesia is the
culmination of the ring of fire. The movement of these tectonic plates causes the formation of earthquake
paths, a series of active volcanoes, tsunami-prone areas, and geological fault zones. Earthquakes that often
occur in Indonesia are classified into two types, namely earthquakes with a magnitude lower than 5.0 on
the Richter scale and earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 5.0 on the Richter scale. Earthquakes with
a strength lower than 5.0 on the Richter Scale often occur in Indonesia, while earthquakes with a
magnitude greater than 5.0 on the Richter Scale occur once a year or for a long period of time throughout
the nation's history. Many people view that after an earthquake, a tsunami will follow, especially in coastal
areas. This is a hypothesis that has both good and bad impacts on society, so an answer is needed which
will be discussed here. Generally, an earthquake that triggers a tsunami in coastal areas due to a sudden
movement of the seabed will cause the displacement of large volumes of water, just like a small child
falling in a bathtub. This happens because the epicenter or known as the epicenter of the earthquake is
right or close to sea level, about a distance of 0 to 30 kilometers below sea level. Therefore, not all
earthquakes that occur on the seabed can cause tsunamis. For example, an earthquake on the seabed whose
epicenter is more than 30 kilometers below the surface of the water does not have the potential to cause a
tsunami. It should also be noted that an earthquake on land can also cause a tsunami. If an earthquake fault
that occurs on land extends into the plate at the bottom of the sea, then this must be watched out for
because it can cause a tsunami. From this condition, we can see that there are similarities in the origin, the
process of disaster occurrence, and the distribution of the intensity of the disaster between the earthquake
and tsunami. Apart from the similarities, there are also differences between the two, namely, in terms of
the disaster detection tools used, the impact of environmental damage, differences in the direction of
movement and the nature of shocks, and ways to save themselves or mitigate from disasters.
Both tsunamis and earthquakes have the same origin and related disaster processes. Tsunamis
originate from the movement of tectonic plates or what we know as earthquakes which are influenced by
three factors, namely due to the movement of tectonic plates (tectonic earthquakes), due to volcanic
activity (volcanic earthquakes), and due to explosions (collapse earthquakes). When tectonic plates
experience fractures or friction between plates which causes each of their edges to open a gap on the
seabed so that seawater enters the gap. After some time, the plates re-unite so that sea water will bounce
off, producing a tsunami wave. With a sudden change (dislocation) of rock structure due to an earthquake
on the ocean floor, it can affect the water column above it to sea level. This change in sea level can then
cause a tsunami wave. Tsunamis caused by the rise of tectonic plates may also be able to propagate along
the coast, can cause enormous damage, can even cover locations far from the source itself. Similarly,
earthquakes on land are caused by active faults of tectonic plates, volcanic activity, and rock collapse. The
strength of an earthquake due to volcanic activity and rock collapse has relatively little effect on the
surrounding damage. Meanwhile, earthquakes caused by collisions between tectonic plates and active
faults or known as tectonic earthquakes have the same impact as tsunamis. The main impact is the
destruction of buildings due to shaking of the earth's crust, the emergence of faults and shifts in the
ground, loss of life due to falling debris from buildings, and breaking gas pipes and damaging power
sources which can cause fires or other disasters.
In addition to having similarities, earthquakes and tsunamis have differences in terms of the disaster
detection tools used. To measure the magnitude of earthquakes around the world relies on the number of
faults and shifts of tectonic plates as measured by seismographs. If this fault extends from the surface to a
depth of several miles, then geologists cannot simply visit the source to calculate or predict these numbers.
By relying on seismographs, geologists can obtain measurements of seismic waves or vibrations from the
epicenter or center of an earthquake. When a major earthquake occurs, the first calculation of its
magnitude is based only on a few seismic readings. Within days or weeks, the amount can be adjusted
based on more precise measurements. Using readings from at least three seismographs, geologists can
triangulate the origins of earthquakes. In addition to using seismographs, geologists are currently
developing earthquake mitigation by identifying locations that are most likely to experience earthquakes
in the future by mapping historical earthquake locations and finding seismic gaps. Meanwhile, tsunami
waves in coastal areas can be detected with a tsunameter measuring instrument. Tsunameter is a
measuring instrument for tsunami waves that is placed with an anchor on the seabed or around the source
of an earthquake so that it has the sensitivity ability to measure changes in sea level on the ocean floor and
detects automatically when a tsunami occurs. On the tsunameter there is a tide gauge sensor that acts as
monitoring of storm and tsunami waves, detects variations in sea level waves in relation to changes in the
global environment, and detects vertical changes in the earth's crust (crustal movement) for disaster
prevention when a tsunami early warning is issued.
Another difference can be seen from the environmental damage caused by the earthquake and
tsunami. In practice, the earthquake conditions are better than the tsunami conditions that have an impact
on the community. Because the ruins of buildings and public facilities will kill people in an earthquake.
While a tsunami can have a wider impact because it can kill anything around it. There are more tsunami
early warnings, but how many minutes can we take to get to higher ground and away from the coast. We
can avoid a tsunami by running uphill before the tsunami comes. But when the tsunami comes, we can't
run any faster. In contrast to earthquakes, most of the deaths from earthquakes are caused by structural
damage to buildings rather than being swallowed by the earth's crust that is fractured. For example, the
earthquakes in Padang and Riau in 2010, where buildings that were poorly constructed and without an
anti-earthquake system would collapse. The existence of buildings with anti-earthquake structures can
prevent bad conditions from occurring. This earthquake also caused damage to infrastructure, broken
power lines, and damaged gas pipelines. Strong earthquakes can also only cause landslides or even punch
holes in the ground in certain areas unlike tsunamis which have a wide range of disasters.
As with earthquakes, tsunamis can range in size from micro-tsunami that can only be detected with
sensitive instruments on the ocean floor to mega-tsunami that can shift the coastline of entire oceans. The
variety of tsunami sizes is influenced by the intensity of the energy released by earthquakes that occur on
the seabed or around the coast. Based on BMKG data, tsunami risk can be divided into several parts,
namely the risk of a small to medium tsunami (0.5 - 2 m) influenced by an earthquake strength of more
than 6.5 on the Richter scale, the risk of a medium to large tsunami (0.1 - 8 m) is affected by an
earthquake strength of more than 7.5 on the Richter scale, and the risk of a large tsunami potential and
evacuation is highly recommended (0.5 - 30 m) influenced by an earthquake strength of more than 8 on
the Richter scale. As with earthquakes, with a magnitude of less than 3 on the Richter scale, they occur
every day, and are generally not felt by humans. An earthquake measuring 3 to 5 on the Richter scale is
considered small, while an earthquake with a magnitude of 5 to 7 is considered moderate to strong.
Earthquakes from 7 to 9 on the Richter scale are large earthquakes that occur every year.
Earthquake and tsunami disasters have different directions of movement and nature of shocks.
Where earthquakes undergo seismic changes in the earth's plates that move in all directions,
mathematically it can be divided into three directions of shock, namely the X, Y, and Z directions. While
the tsunami waves will produce giant waves that move in one direction, namely in the X and Y directions.
We can analyze when a large earthquake occurs when a fault occurs in the plate, where one side of the
fault will move up and consequently the other side will fall, this occurs at the bottom of the earth on solid
soil or rock. It is different when the tsunami occurs, where sea water does not have elastic properties like
the earth's plates. When the sea water reaches the maximum wave height which is generally up to 30
meters, then it will slowly drop several meters to reach the affected area. This sudden change in water
level is caused by the combination of several waves that are pushed to find the same height point. Usually
the formation of a tsunami after an earthquake around the coast takes an interval of between 100 and 150
seconds creating a tsunami wave speed of between 650 and 700 kilometers per hour. The speed of the
tsunami waves is more or less the same in all directions. But the energy and height of a tsunami differs in
different directions. A tsunami that travels at right angles to the fault has a maximum height and energy,
while a tsunami that moves toward a fault has a minimum of energy and height.
Another difference between earthquakes and tsunamis can be seen in terms of mitigation and escape
from disasters. If you live in a known earthquake area, the safest place in every room is under a sturdy
table, where you can take shelter from falling objects or concrete. Reinforced doors can be a safe haven,
but most indoor doors are not strong enough, a sturdy countertop tends to provide more protection. In
contrast to the rescue action that we do is in the car, stop as quickly as possible, but stay in the car. If you
are on or near the coast, move quickly inland to avoid a potential tsunami wave. After an earthquake,
continue to take precautions to save yourself according to the disaster emergency guidelines because most
earthquakes are usually followed by aftershocks. In contrast to disturbances that cause tsunamis when we
are near the shoreline, tsunami waves caused by seafloor earthquakes can travel to coastal communities
within minutes. If we see a tsunami, it is too late to outrun the tsunami. Even a small tsunami that is 6 feet
high with very strong currents, is capable of chasing and knocking someone down. In addition, due to
complex interactions with coastal areas, tsunami waves can last for hours until receding.
It can be concluded that when tectonic plates are fractured or friction between plates causes each of
their edges to stick together, endothermic energy is formed from the epicenter and is released to the
hypocenter as an earthquake. Earthquakes that occur under the sea sometimes cause ocean waves called
tsunamis. A tsunami is a natural disaster that continues after a large earthquake occurs near the coast or
the trajectory of the earth's plates in contact with the seabed, so they are not two different things. Not all
earthquakes cause tsunamis, but all tsunamis are caused by earthquakes. In the ocean, tsunamis look
harmless and are only a few meters higher than ordinary ocean waves. As it approaches land, it draws
water from the nearest shore and hits the shore at incredible speed and height. The speed is related to the
depth of the sea offshore. Despite having similarities in the origin, the nature of the disaster process, and
the distribution of the intensity of the disaster, there are several factors that differentiate between an
earthquake and a tsunami. The first factor is the difference in terms of the disaster detection tools used. To
measure the magnitude of an earthquake, we rely on seismographs to measure the strength of the fault.
Meanwhile, tsunamis in coastal areas are detected with a tsunameter measuring instrument that measures
changes in sea level at the ocean floor and detects automatically when a tsunami occurs. The second factor
is seen from the impact of environmental damage, where earthquake conditions are better than tsunami
conditions because earthquakes only occur around the epicenter while tsunamis can have a wider impact
because they can kill anything in the vicinity. The third factor is the difference in the direction of
movement and the nature of the shock, where earthquakes undergo seismic changes that move in all
directions while tsunami waves will produce giant waves that move in one direction towards the coast.
The fourth factor is seen from the difference in terms of mitigation and how to save oneself from disasters.
Therefore, both earthquakes and tsunamis are natural disasters that must be watched out for. Moreover, the
tsunami is the most feared disaster by the community because of its wide reach and fast speed to destroy
everything on land.

Reference :
Kompas, Team. 2005. Bencana Gempa dan Tsunami. Jakarta : Kompas
Atwater, B. F. et al. 2005. The Orphan Tsunami of 170. United States : Geological Survey
& University of Washington Press
Afnimar. 2009. Seismology. Bandung : ITB’s Publisher
Berita IPTEK. 2006. http://www.beritaiptek.com/kedahsyatan_tsunami. Accessed May 20,
2021, 8:34 p.m.