Earthquake Hazards: Fire, Tsunami, Landslide

Fire

• gas pipes broken by ground motion

  • electricity cables severed = sparks = fire

• water lines severed

  • hard to fight fire without water

• transportation lines severed (bridges collapse, roads blocked due to building collapse)

  • hard to fight the fire if firefighters can’t get there

Tsunami

• often caused by subduction zones earthquakes

• fault ruptures the seafloor and lift/drops the entire water column above the fault

  • not cause by seismic waves

• long wavelength (miles) = wall of water comes ashore

• impossible to outrun

Landslide

• earthquakes can trigger landslides

• the bigger the earthquake, the more likely there will be landslides

• landslides are important in mountainous areas