state any three of the damaging effect of an earthquake
Answers
1) Damage to human structures – Earthquakes cause great damage to human structures such as buildings, roads, rails, factories, dams, bridges etc, and thus cause heavy damage to human property.
(2) Landslides-The shocks produced by earthquakes particularly in hilly areas and mountains which are tectonically sensitive causes landslides and debris fall on human settlements and transport system on the lower slope segments, inflicting damage to them.
(3) Fires- The strong vibrations caused by severe earthquakes strongly shake the buildings and thus causing severe fires in houses, mines and factories because of overturning of cooking gas, contact of live electric wires, churning of blast furnaces, displacement of other fire related and electric appliances.
(4) Flash Floods- Strong seismic waves cause damage to dams thereby causing severe flash floods. Severe floods are also caused because of blocking of water flow of rivers due to rock blocks and debris produced by severe tremors in the hill slopes facing the river valleys. Sometimes the blockage is so severe that rivers change their main course.
(5) Deformation of Ground surface– severe tremors and resultant vibrations caused by earthquakes result in the deformation of ground surface because of rise and subsidence of ground surface and faulting activity( formation of faults).
(6) Tsunamis– The seismic waves caused by earthquake( measuring more than 7 on richter scale) travelling through sea water generate high sea waves and cause great loss of life and property.