Earthquake hazards + what causes them

Earthquake characteristic - Hazard it could cause

• amount of energy released ( Richter scale ) - more energy released more intense the earthquake is, therefore more dangerous

• The geology of the area ( hard/soft rock ) - hard rock will do more damage but soft rock will move/crumble more easily

• Depth of RQ focus beneath the surface - then more shallow the focus the more intense as it reaches the surface faster and will have more energy than a deeper focus as more energy will have been absorbed

• population density in the area affected - the denser the pop the more deaths/injuries. Also, it is more people to evacuate which could cause road congestion

• building + structure design ( have buildings been designed to withstand an EQ? ) - the more earthquake proof buildings in an area the less collapsing buildings and falling debris, therefore less deaths

• Time of day - varying factor and hard to write about. During the day people are at work, could be beneficial if workspaces are EQ proof and vice versa for being at home. Also say it happens during rush our harder to evacuate people. ( avoid this one )