Earthquakes are one of the most deadly forces of nature. People who study earthquake activity for a living are called seismologists. Seismology is a branch of geology that focuses on tremors that occur deep within the crust of the Earth due to the movement of tectonic plates.
Did you know that almost 80% of the world's earthquakes occur around the Pacific Ocean in a zone called the "Ring of Fire"?
Earthquake terms:
Natural Hazard - an occurrence in nature with the potential to cause harm to life and property
Natural Disaster - the realization of a natural hazard that has occurred and which has brought about destruction to life and/or property on a large scale
Earthquake - a sudden violent shaking of the ground
Seismic - relating to earthquakes or other vibrations within the Earth's crust
Focus - or hypocenter is the origin of an earthquake deep within the Earth's crust
Epicenter - the point on the Earth's surface where the strongest vibrations of an earthquake are felt. This is located directly above the focus
Magnitude - a number that describes the relative size of an earthquake. The measurement that produces this number is recorded by a seismograph.
Richter Scale - the measure used to determine an earthquake's magnitude from 1being the smallest to 10 which is the largest
Tsunami - A large destructive wave or series of sea waves generated by powerful undersea earthquakes that have displaced a great volume of water.
Seismic waves/shock waves - waves of energy that travel through the Earth as a result of an earthquake.
Earthquakes in the Caribbean
The Caribbean is a seismically active area. As you would have learned in a previous note, there are examples of each type of boundary around the Caribbean tectonic plate - convergent, divergent and transform. All of these boundaries experience earthquakes from time to time. Many strong earthquakes have occurred along the subduction zone of the eastern Caribbean stretching from Montserrat to Grenada. Powerful and destructive earthquakes have struck the Caribbean within the last few hundred years. The worst in Trinidad occurred in 1766, which destroyed the former capital of St. Joseph. Martinique and Guadeloupe were also hit in the 1800s with thousands of lives destroyed. In Haiti 2010, an earthquake struck close to the capital of Port-au-Prince, leaving over 100 000 people dead, many buildings destroyed, and a nation in chaos. It is, therefore, necessary to be prepared for the effects of such occurrences so seismologists monitor seismic activity in the Caribbean through the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre, located in St. Augustine, Trinidad.
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Did you know that almost 80% of the world's earthquakes occur around the Pacific Ocean in a zone called the "Ring of Fire"?
Earthquake terms:
Natural Hazard - an occurrence in nature with the potential to cause harm to life and property
Natural Disaster - the realization of a natural hazard that has occurred and which has brought about destruction to life and/or property on a large scale
Earthquake - a sudden violent shaking of the ground
Seismic - relating to earthquakes or other vibrations within the Earth's crust
Focus - or hypocenter is the origin of an earthquake deep within the Earth's crust
Epicenter - the point on the Earth's surface where the strongest vibrations of an earthquake are felt. This is located directly above the focus
Magnitude - a number that describes the relative size of an earthquake. The measurement that produces this number is recorded by a seismograph.
Richter Scale - the measure used to determine an earthquake's magnitude from 1being the smallest to 10 which is the largest
Tsunami - A large destructive wave or series of sea waves generated by powerful undersea earthquakes that have displaced a great volume of water.
Seismic waves/shock waves - waves of energy that travel through the Earth as a result of an earthquake.
Earthquakes in the Caribbean
The Caribbean is a seismically active area. As you would have learned in a previous note, there are examples of each type of boundary around the Caribbean tectonic plate - convergent, divergent and transform. All of these boundaries experience earthquakes from time to time. Many strong earthquakes have occurred along the subduction zone of the eastern Caribbean stretching from Montserrat to Grenada. Powerful and destructive earthquakes have struck the Caribbean within the last few hundred years. The worst in Trinidad occurred in 1766, which destroyed the former capital of St. Joseph. Martinique and Guadeloupe were also hit in the 1800s with thousands of lives destroyed. In Haiti 2010, an earthquake struck close to the capital of Port-au-Prince, leaving over 100 000 people dead, many buildings destroyed, and a nation in chaos. It is, therefore, necessary to be prepared for the effects of such occurrences so seismologists monitor seismic activity in the Caribbean through the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre, located in St. Augustine, Trinidad.
Click here to try the quiz