EARTHQUAKE

An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or

temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth,
resulting from the sudden release of energy in the Earth's
lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can
range in size from those that are so weak that they
cannot be felt to those violent enough to toss people
around and destroy whole cities. The seismicity, or
seismic activity, of an area is the frequency, type and size
of earthquakes experienced over a period of time. The
word tremor is also used for non-earthquake seismic
rumbling.
At the Earth's surface, earthquakes manifest
themselves by shaking and displacing or disrupting the
ground. When the epicenter of a large earthquake is
located offshore, the seabed may be displaced sufficiently
to cause a tsunami. Earthquakes can also trigger
landslides, and occasionally volcanic activity.
 Seven Factors That Contribute to the
Destructiveness of an Earthquake
1. Location
This one is kind of obvious—an earthquake that hits in
a populated area is more likely to do damage than one
that hits an unpopulated area or the middle of the
ocean.
2. Magnitude
Scientists assign a number to represent the amount of
seismic energy released by an earthquake. The Richter
magnitude scale, as it is known, is logarithmic, so each
step up represents an increase in energy of a factor of
10. The more energy in an earthquake, the more
destructive it can be
3. Depth
Earthquakes can happen anywhere from at the
surface to 700 kilometers below. In general, deeper
earthquakes are less damaging because their
energy dissipates before it reaches the surface.
4. Distance from the epicenter
The epicenter is the point at the surface right above
where the earthquake originates and is usually the
place where the earthquake’s intensity is the
greatest.
5. Local geologic conditions
The nature of the ground at the surface of an
earthquake can have a profound influence on the
level of damage.
6. Secondary effects:
Earthquakes can trigger landslides, fires, floods or
tsunamis. It was not the 2004 Sumatran-Andaman
earthquake that caused so much damage in 2004
but the Indian Ocean tsunami it triggered. Nearly a
quarter of a million people in 14 countries were killed
when coastal communities were inundated by the
water.
7. Architecture
Even the strongest buildings may not survive a bad
earthquake, but architecture plays a huge role in
what and who survives a quake. The January 2010
Haiti earthquake, for example, was made far
worse by poor construction, weak cement and
unenforced building codes.
Why In Indonesia Earthquake often
occurred ?
Because :
1. The location of Indonesia is in the world volcano
cluster or Ring of fire.
2. The tectonic condition in Indonesia area
The second factor that causes Indonesia to be prone to
earthquakes is from its tectonic state. Indonesia is a
meeting of the world's tectonic plates, to the south of
the Indo-Australian plate, to the east of the Pacific plate,
and to the Eurasian plate.
No. Lokasi Tahun Skala (Richter) Koordinat
1. Chili 1960 9,5 -38,24 -73,05
Lepas pantai
2. 2004 9,3 3,30 95,78
barat Sumatera, Indonesia
Prince William
3. 1964 9,2 61,06 -147,65
Sound, Alaska
4. Wilayah Tōhoku, Jepang 2011 9,1 38,51 142,792
5. Kamchatka 1952 9,0 52,76 160,06
6. Lepas pantai Ekuador 1906 8,8 1,0 -81,5

7. Sumatera Utara, Indonesia 2005 8,7 2,08 97,01

8. Pulau Rat, Alaska 1965 8,7 51,21 178,50

Kepulauan Andreanof,
9. 1957 8,6 51,56 -175,39
Alaska
10. Assam, Tibet 1950 8,6 28,5 96,5
11. Kepulauan Kuril 1963 8,5 44,9 149,6
12. Laut Banda, Indonesia 1938 8,5 -5,05 131,62
Perbatasan Chili dan Argenti
13. 1922 8,5 -28,55 -70,50
na
Gempa yang berpusat di Pidie Jaya tersebut telah memakan korban jiwa. Banyak korban jiwa yang
terluka dan meninggal dunia akibat terkena material bangunan yang roboh. Korban pun terus
bertambah hingga saat ini.

Berbeda dengan Jepang. Dilansir portalsatu.com dari laman berita CNN, Jepang adalah wilayah
yang sering dilanda gempa bumi. Namun, korban yang jatuh akibat gempa bumi sangat minim.

Hal tersebut terjadi karena Jepang sangat mengantisipasi bencana seperti gempa bumi. Pelatihan
terkait dengan evakuasi bencana pun kerap dilakukan baik di sekolah atau kantor pemerintahan.
Dan yang paling berpengaruh adalah daya tahan bangunan di Jepang lebih kuat dari daya tahan
bangunan di Indonesia.

Masih dari laman CNN, pascagempa Kobe yang terjadi pada 1995, ketentuan baru mengenai
standar bangunan anti-gempa mulai berlaku di Jepang. Pemda di sebagian wilayah Jepang
menawarkan inspeksi keamanan struktur bangunan untuk rumah warga.

Sedangkan di wilayah Indonesia hal tersebut belum menjadi prioritas. Padahal beberapa wilayah di
Indonesia kerap dilanda gempa bumi. Hal ini terlihat saat dilanda gempa bumi banyak bangunan
yang roboh dan mengakibatkan korban jiwa. Walaupun gempa tersebut terjadi dalam jangka
waktu sesaat