clearer | How are earthquakes measured?

What is the heart of earthquakes? Can it be expected? Is it possible to set up early warning systems?

What is the heart of earthquakes? Can it be expected? Is it possible to set up early warning systems?

The story so far: A powerful 5.9-magnitude earthquake recently struck a remote city in Afghanistan, killing more than a thousand and injuring many more. According to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, 5.9 on the Richter scale is roughly 37 times the energy released by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Experts are still trying to figure out the best early warning system to mitigate the damage caused by earthquakes.

How do earthquakes happen?

According to the theory of plate tectonics, the Earth’s crust and upper mantle consist of large solid plates that can move relative to each other. Sliding on faults near the plate boundary can cause earthquakes. The point inside the Earth at which an earthquake rupture begins is called the focus or hypo The point directly above it on the Earth’s surface is the epicenter.

Hindu Science Quiz | How much do you know about earthquakes?

What are seismic waves?

Any material that is elastic when subjected to stress, expands in a proportional manner, until the elastic limit is reached. When the elastic limit is exceeded, it breaks. Similarly, the Earth also has an elastic boundary and when the stress is higher than this bound, it fractures. Then there is the generation of heat, and the energy is released. Since the material is elastic, the energy is released in the form of elastic waves. These propagate to a distance determined by the extent of the impact. These are known as seismic waves.

How are earthquakes measured?

Earthquakes are measured by seismograph networks, which consist of seismic stations, each of which measures the shaking of the ground beneath. In India, the National Seismological Network is doing this work. Its history is about 120 years and its sensors can now detect an earthquake within five to ten minutes.

According to Shyam S. Rai, a Raja Ramanna Fellow and Honorary Professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, wave parameters are measured, not the total energy emitted. It shows that there is a relationship between the amount of energy emitted and the amplitude of a wave. The amplitude of the wave is a function of the time period of the wave. It is possible to convert the measured wave amplitude into the energy released by this earthquake. This is what seismologists call the magnitude of an earthquake.

What is the Richter scale?

This is a measure of earthquake magnitude and was first defined by Charles F. Richter of the California Institute of Technology, US, in 1935. An earthquake’s magnitude is the logarithm of the amplitude of waves measured by seismographs. Richter scale expressions are expressed as an integer and a decimal part, for example 6.3 or 5.2. Since it is a logarithmic scale, an integer increase by one unit means a tenfold increase in wave amplitude and a 31fold increase in emitted energy.

How are regions defined?

Based on the earthquakes, the intensity of the earthquakes that occurred, the geological and tectonic characteristics of the region, countries are divided into several regions. In India, for example, there are four zones defined as Zone II – Zone V among them, Zone V is the most dangerous and Zone II is the least dangerous.

Can you build earthquake early warning systems?

Since earthquake parameters are not known, it is almost impossible to predict an earthquake. The problem with earthquakes, says Professor Ray, is that they are highly dependent on the property of the materials, which varies from place to place.

If there are elastic waves propagating through a substance, then there are two types of waves – the primary wave that arrives first, and the second called the secondary wave, which is more destructive. Suppose the initial wave is measured, and we have efficient computer systems, all the inputs and excellent data collection, then it can be said that a possible earthquake of this size and energy has occurred, and it could lead to a land widening that could be devastating. If the amount of energy emitted is known to be too high, trains and power grids can be shut down and damage reduced. “This has worked in some locations, but not on a large commercial basis,” says Professor Ray.

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The most successful early warning systems are in Japan. They have several hundreds of thousands of recording devices. Responses are sent to a central point where they estimate if it is large enough to form a tsunami or some other hazard, and precautionary steps are taken,” he points out.

Experts are still trying to figure out the best early warning system to mitigate the damage caused by earthquakes. Since earthquake parameters are not known, it is almost impossible to predict an earthquake. Based on the earthquakes, the intensity of the earthquakes that occurred, the geological and tectonic characteristics of the region, countries are divided into several regions.

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