Question

Earthquake an abotu , causes, effect, steps taken by government, precaution, conclusion

Answer 1

The sudden shaking or rolling of the earth’s surface is called an earthquake. Actually earthquakes occur daily around the world (according to one estimate, about 8000 occur every year), but most of them are too mild to be noticeable. We know of them only because they are recorded by instruments called seismographs (the Greek word seismos means ‘earthquake’).
How Earthquakes Occur:

Perhaps you remember that the earth is made up of three layers. At its heart is a core of iron, consisting of a solid sphere surrounded by a layer of hot, molten iron. Around the core is a mantle of soft, paste like rocks. And over the mantle rests the hard layer of rocks we call the crust. This crust is not a uniform, faultless shell. It is more like a jigsaw of blocks that fit together. The huge blocks that make up the crust are called tectonic plates.
The heat inside the earth sets up a current in the mantle, keeping it in constant motion. This makes the plates of the crust move continually, like rafts on a gentle ocean. The movement sometimes causes the edges of the plates to grind against each other with a lot of force.

They may then get deformed, displaced, crushed or fractured. They may also slide under each other or move apart. Such changes in the plates send a tremor or set up vibrations through the crust, causing what we call an earthquake.

Protection from Earthquakes:

The greatest damage caused by an earthquake is usually due to the destruction of buildings. So we will discuss how buildings are protected from damage before considering the general safety measures that people can take during an earthquake.

Protecting buildings:

As the ground vibrates during an earthquake, the buildings on the ground also start vibrating. The only problem is that a building is fixed to the ground. So the whole building cannot move. The bottom remains where it is, while the top sways back and forth and gets pushed and pulled sideways.

This sets up a lot of stress in the building. And when the stress becomes too much, the building cracks or even collapses. It is somewhat like holding one end of a rubber band firmly and pulling the other end. The rubber band stretches and breaks, unless you let the other end go.


Here are some steps we can take to stay as safe as possible during an earthquake:

1. Stay away from windows, glass objects, mirrors and things that can fall like book cases and cabinets.

2. Crawl under a table or bed or crouch near an inner wall or doorway and protect your head and face with your arms. Hold on to something that is unlikely to fall [drop, cover, hold).

3. Do not use the lift.

4. Turn off the power supply.
5. If you are outdoors, stay away from trees, buildings, poles, and so on.

6. be ready for the aftershocks that follow an earthquake.

7. People in earthquake-prone areas should be particular about fixing tall, heavy furniture to the wall and anchoring heavy appliances well. They should avoid placing breakable and heavy objects on high shelves