What makes earthquakes a deadly natural disaster?

In this illustrative series, 9News.com.au looks at the fears and fears of natural disasters, and looks at their potential impacts on Australia.

Earthquakes are unpredictable and strike suddenly without warning.

A powerful natural disaster has caused deaths and destruction around the world, prompting leaders to grapple with how to prepare to mitigate their risks and impacts.

We’ve broken down what we know about earthquakes, including where they are most likely to occur and where they have caused havoc in the past.

A man leaves a restaurant after searching for his belongings in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. (Marco Dormino/UN)

What makes earthquakes a deadly natural disaster?

Earthquakes pose a great danger to human life.

According to the World Health Organization, it caused nearly 750,000 deaths globally between 1998 and 2017.

The extent of destruction and damage depends on several factors, including size, severity, and duration.

Where and when they happen will also make a huge difference.

Sign up here to receive our daily newsletters and breaking news alerts, sent straight to your inbox. Thai construction workers reinstall power lines in the tsunami-affected area of ​​Phi Phi Island. The island was one of the hardest hit areas in Thailand by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. (Kate Geraghty)

The risk management measures put in place and the design of earthquake-damaged buildings also make a difference.

The deadliest earthquake-related event in recent times was the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004.

Just before 8 am on December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck off the coast of North Sumatra.

Scientists believe that the earthquake, which lasted 10 minutes, is the third largest in history.

At least 230,000 people died or went missing during the disaster and hundreds of kilometers of coastline were washed away, with buildings stripped or wrecked.

In terms of deaths directly caused by seismic shaking, there is a common pattern, said expert Dr Caroline Eiken.

“Earthquakes don’t kill people, buildings do,” said Eiken.

The worst events are those that occur at a shallow depth, near large population centers, where buildings or structures are not built to withstand seismic vibrations.

“Landslides caused by earthquakes in areas of steep and unstable terrain can be particularly devastating.”

What are the most common earthquakes in the world?

Earthquakes are the largest and most common at tectonic plate boundaries where two plates collide or slide in front of each other.

Some areas suffer more from this natural disaster than others.

According to Australian Geosciences, earthquakes occur especially around the fringes of the Pacific Plate, which includes New Zealand, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Japan and the Americas.

A policeman walks past a building destroyed by the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. (Wikimedia Commons)

Earthquakes also occur along the Indonesian islands arc, where the Indo-Australian plate collides with the Eurasian plate.

Why are they so destructive?

Earthquakes can be devastating for many reasons.

These include the design and construction of the buildings affected, the type of land (for example, whether it is hard rock or soft sediment), the possibility of a landslide, and proximity to people or cities.

“In general, though, the largest earthquakes in the world represent one of the largest possible energy releases from a single event,” Iken said.

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“For example, the largest magnitude-9 earthquakes release more energy than the largest volcanic eruptions (and) the largest nuclear bombs.

“However, the largest earthquake ever recorded, the M9.5 earthquake in Chile in 1960, was not the deadliest due to other factors.”

Why do earthquakes happen?

Earthquakes release pressure that builds up in the Earth’s outermost layer.

When pressure builds up enough to overcome the level of friction along the fault line, the fault bursts.

This causes a relative displacement of the ground on both sides of the fault, and the movement generates seismic waves.

“On a larger scale, pressure builds up in the Earth’s crust because tectonic plates move, and plate tectonics moves because Earth’s interior is moved by convection,” Iken said.

Could a strong earthquake hit Australia?

The largest earthquake on record in Australia was in 1988 at Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory, with a magnitude of 6.6.

It occurred in a sparsely populated area and led to the destruction of a major gas pipeline.

“Evidence from the geological record indicates that class 7+ is theoretically possible, but it is extremely rare, probably only occurring every few thousand years,” said Eiken.

Stock shook off shelves at the Tennant Creek Supermarket during the earthquake. (Tennant and Barclay Times)

“A moderate-magnitude earthquake is most likely to occur under a major city in Australia during our lifetime, such as the magnitude 5.9 event felt in Melbourne in 2021.

“Events like this are likely to cause at least some building damage, especially to buildings that are most vulnerable.”

For low-lying coastal residents, Eakin said, the biggest risk is the potential for tsunamis from large earthquakes elsewhere.

“Particularly along the subduction zones and plate boundaries that surround the Australian continent,” she said.

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