Key concepts and terms
This is a curved fracture in the earth's crust where rocks move past one another
A fault/fault line
Earthquakes are most commonly triggered by the shifting of these plates along geologic faults
Tectonic Plates
Tremors can uproot trees and completely alter landscapes, leading to this specific outcome where open ecosystems like grasslands suffer from reduced plant biomass.
Habitat destruction
If you are inside when shaking starts, you should stay inside because trying to exit puts you at a higher risk of being injured by these three things.
falling bricks, glass, and building debris
This term describes the exact underground location where the initial earthquake rupture occurs
The Focus
As this substance forces its way through the Earth's crust, it builds massive pressure and fractures surrounding rock, triggering volcanic earthquakes.
molten rock (or magma/lava)
Landslides caused by earthquakes can block these entirely, depriving aquatic ecosystems of their vital necessities.
Riverbeds
While taking cover indoors, you should get under a sturdy desk or table; if no shelter is nearby, you should crouch next to this area.
Directly above the focus, this is the specific point on the Earth's surface.
The epicenter
Massive landslides can trigger localized earthquakes through fluid pressure changes, crustal unloading, and this type of direct physical impact.
Kinetic impact
Collapsed infrastructure and ruptured pipelines create dangerous pollution by spilling these three specific types of hazardous materials into forests and waterways.
oil, sewage, and hazardous chemicals
If you are in bed when an earthquake hits, you should stay there, use a pillow to cover your head and neck, and lie in this position to protect your vital organs.
Face down
These are vibrations of energy that radiate outward from the focus of an earthquake.
Seismic Waves
Human activities cause earthquakes by altering stress and fluid pressure in the Earth's crust; one primary trigger is pumping large volumes of this into deep wells.
Wastewater
Because governments must absorb massive, uninsurable costs, they are forced to divert public funds toward these three phases of recovery. (Name one)
What are emergency response, debris removal, and long-term reconstruction?
If you are caught outside, you must stay in the open and quickly move away from buildings, streetlights, trees, and...
power lines
These are the small tremors that constantly happen either before or after the main earthquake event.
Foreshocks and aftershocks
Name two of the industrial or human activities mentioned that alter crustal pressure, aside from wastewater pumping
What are mine blasts, nuclear testing, hydraulic fracturing (fracking), extracting underground resources (gas/oil), or reservoir impoundment behind dams?
Damaged supply chains from an earthquake's destruction can have a ripple effect, reducing this type of economic output even in unaffected neighboring regions.
industrial production
Overcrowded temporary shelters can accelerate the spread of these two specific categories of health conditions. (Name one)
respiratory and communicable diseases