Earthquakes and Society Chapter 8 Section 3 Earthquake Hazard

An earthquake hazard zone is an area on the Earth that is prone to having an earthquake The west coast of the US is more prone to earthquakes do to the plate boundary it lies on The Midwest area of the US is not near a plate boundary & is less likely to experience earthquakes

Earthquake Forecasting Seismologist have a difficult task in successfully predicting earthquakes By studying active faults seismologists have noticed patterns in earthquakes The more earthquakes an area that is seismically active has, the less destructive it will be An area that is seismically active that has few earthquakes will experience more destructive earthquake

Earthquake Forecasting Gap Hypothesis states that sections of active faults that have relatively few earthquakes are likely to be the sites of strong earthquakes in the future Seismic gap is the area along a fault that relatively few earthquakes have occurred

Earthquakes & Buildings Earthquake resistant buildings are built in seismically active areas Base isolators act like shock absorbers during an earthquake. Flexible pipes help prevent water and gas lines from breaking Active tendon system use sensors to a computer that activates devices to shift a large weight to counteract the movement of the building

Earthquakes & Buildings Cross bracing counteract pressure that pushes & pulls at the sides of a building during an earthquake Mass dampeners are weight placed on the roof of a building. Computers signal controls to move the mass dampener to counter act the movement of the earthquake.

Are You Prepared for an Earthquake? Safeguard your house Heavy things should be placed on lower selves Make sure that your home is reinforced Store nonperishable food, bottled water, flashlight, and first aid kit During the earthquake you should get under a doorway, lie flat under a sturdy table or chair in the center of a room If outside you should lie face down away from power line, buildings, trees, and stop your car an a open road & remain inside