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Earthquake

Historical Incidence Of Earthquakes

Catastrophic earthquakes happened just as often in the past as they do today. Earthquakes shattered stonewalled cities in the ancient world, sometimes hastening the demise of civilizations. Knossos, Chattusas, and Mycenae, ancient capitals of countries located in tectonically active mountain ranges, fell to pieces and were eventually deserted. Scribes have documented earthquakes in the chronicles of ancient realms. An earthquake is recorded in the Book of Zachariah, and the Apostle Paul wrote that he got out of jail when the building fell apart around him in an earthquake. In the years before international news services, few people heard about distant earthquakes. Only a few handwritten accounts have survived, giving us limited knowledge of earthquakes in antiquity. Because of limited and lost data, earthquakes seem to have been less common in ancient times. In China, home of the first seismometer, the Imperial government has recorded earthquakes for over a thousand years. Their frequency has not changed through the ages.

Resources

Books

Reiter, L. Earthquake Hazard Analysis. New York: Columbia University Press, 1990.

Periodicals

Hill, D. P., F. Pollitz, and C. Hewhall. "Earthquake-Volcano Interactions." Physics Today 55, no. 11 (November 2002): 41–47.

Sykes, L. R. "Four Decades of Progress in Seismic Identification Help Verify the CTBT." EOS, Transactions, American Geophysical Union 83, no. 44 (October 29, 2002): 497–500.

Other

Spall, Henry. "NEIC: An Interview with Charles F. Richter." July 8, 2002 [cited November 8, 2002]. <http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/seismology/people/int_richter.html>.

U.S. Geological Survey. "Earthquake Image Glossary." July 29, 2002 [cited November 8, 2002]. <http://earthquake.usgs.gov/image_glossary/>.

U.S. Geological Survey. "EQ Facts and Lists." September 5, 2002 [cited November 8, 2002]. <http://earthquake.usgs.gov/bytopic/>.

U.S. Geological Survey. "USGS Earthquake Hazards Program." November 8, 2002 [cited November 8, 2002]. <http://earthquakes.usgs.gov/>.

Bill Hanneberg

KEY TERMS

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Active fault: —A fault where movement has been known to occur in recent geologic time.
Aftershock: —A subsequent earthquake (usually smaller in magnitude) following a powerful earthquake that originates at or near the same place.
Epicenter: —The location where the seismic waves of an earthquake first appear on the surface, usually almost directly above the focus.
Fault: —A fracture in the earth's crust accompanied by a displacement of one side relative to the other.
Focus: —The location of the seismic event deep within the earth's crust that causes an earthquake. Also called the earthquake's hypocenter.
Foreshock: —A small earthquake or tremor that precedes a larger earthquake shock.
Modified Mercalli scale: —A scale used to evaluate earthquake intensity based on effects felt and observed by people during the earthquake.
Richter scale: —A scale used to compare earthquakes based on the energy released by the earthquake.
Seismic wave: —A disturbance produced by compression or distortion on or within the earth, which propagates through Earth materials; a seismic wave may be produced by natural (e.g., earthquakes) or artificial (e.g., explosions) means. P waves, S waves, and surface waves are vibrations in rock and soil that transfer the force of the earthquake from the focus into the surrounding area.
Subsidence: —A sinking or lowering of the earth's surface.

Additional topics

Science EncyclopediaScience & Philosophy: Dysprosium to Electrophoresis - Electrophoretic TheoryEarthquake - Seismic Waves, Collapse Of Buildings, Earthquake-triggered Landslide, Liquefaction Of Soil, Subsidence - Causes of earthquakes