Page 20 - Nadide Times 9
P. 20
APRIL 2023 9th EDITION
EVERYTHING WE SHOULD
KNOW ABOUT EARTHQUAKES
Ali Bayezid TURAN & Eymen Eren BAŞARIR (7th Hunters)
You feel that the ground suddenly shakes, the HOW DO EARTHQUAKES HAPPEN?
furniture and the chandeliers are trembling. You The action starts thousands of kilometers below
cannot stand still. An earthquake is happening. our feet. People live on the surface of the crust.
Below the surface—but still within the crust—are
An earthquake is caused by the movement of the tectonic plates which are giant rock slabs that
Earth’s crust which is the outermost layer. There make up Earth's upper layer. The slabs are always
are millions of earthquakes every year, but most of on the move. Where the plates pull apart, slide
them are so small that we don’t feel them. past each other, or crash together, they take
what's on the surface for a ground-buckling,
HOW IS THE EARTQUAKE EVALUATED? earthshaking ride.
Scientists use seismic waves to measure how big
an earthquake is. They use a device called a Tectonic plates aren't connected but are close
seismograph to measure the size of the waves. together. Where they meet along their edges is
The size of the waves is called the magnitude. called a fault. When heat from the Earth’s core
creates currents in the crust, the tectonic plates
The strength of an earthquake is called the Richter can scrape, bump, or drag along each other. This
scale. The Richter scale starts with 1 and goes on. is what causes an earthquake—and why the
When it is below 3, you won't even notice the surface sometimes cracks like an eggshell.
earthquake. Here are some examples of what may The spot on the surface just above where an
happen depending on the scale: earthquake starts is called the epicenter. Ripples
called seismic waves travel out from the epicenter.
4.0 - Shakes the house as if a big truck is passing This causes vibrations that
by. Some people don’t notice it. But it is mostly felt people can feel, sometimes Naturally occurring
but destructions don’t happen. very far from the epicenter. earthquakes
6.0 - It is a quite severe earthquake. Things will fall WHERE DO EARTHQUAKES
off of shelves. Walls in some houses may crack HAPPEN
and windows may break. Everyone near the center Earthquakes occur along faults,
and its surroundings will feel this earthquake. the areas where tectonic plates
meet. About 80 percent of
7.0 - Weaker buildings will collapse and cracks will earthquakes occur in the
occur in bridges and on the streets. Lots of people Pacific Ocean because there
may die and most of the buildings will be are large number of volcanoes
damaged. there so the area is a point for
many tectonic plates.
8.0 - Nearly all buildings and bridges fall down.
The Faults Map of Türkiye
9.0 and higher - Whole cities are flattened.
Everything collapses.
Strong earthquakes can cause landslides,
tsunamis, flooding, and other disasters. As well as
people dying because of windows breaking,
buildings collapsing and everything is damaged.
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