Today the topic of our conversation is one of the most dangerous and damaging natural disasters. It is an earthquake. Let’s find out what it is and begin this essay on earthquakes with its definition. So scientists tend to define this phenomenon as tangible shaking of the Earth surface, that is caused by sudden release of energy in the crust of the Earth. In other words, this release of energy results in seismic waves, which creates an earthquake itself. By the way, seismic waves are able to spread over great distances. However, only the epicenter of earthquake experiences the huge damage. The synonyms for the word “earthquake” are “quake”, “tremor”, “temblor”. Earthquake is a severe disaster. It is able to destroy people’s dwellings, cause significant casualties or even demolish the entire cities. I am sure that everybody has heard at least once in his/her life the term “seismic activity”. It is measured taking into account such factors as frequency, type and severity of earthquakes on the particular territory over a certain period of time. The force of earthquake is evaluated by Richter measure scale. Earth tremor is detected and registered by seismograph. The cases of earthquakes, their causes and results are studied by seismology. It could be interesting for you that if you have to write an essay on seismology and haven’t got time for it, you are welcome to use our service. Anyway, today in this essay about earthquakes we will talk about the scientific aspect of earthquakes, discuss the most infamous cases of earthquakes in the history of the humanity and, which is even more important for your safety in everyday life, list all the necessary tips for surviving during an earthquake.

The scientific view on the earthquake subject

Let’s speak for the beginning about the scientific classification of earthquakes There are several types of them:

• Volcanic type (earthquakes caused by the huge strain in the bosom of volcano; the reason for this kind of earthquakes are lava and volcanic gas; earthquakes of this type are usually weak, but can endure for several weeks or months; as a rule, they are not dangerous for people);
• Technogenic type (nowadays the opinion about human’s technological activity impact on the seismic activity is becoming more popular; scientists believe that the building of reservoir storages, extraction of natural oil and gas and some other people’s activities could lead to growing of seismic activity);
• Landslide type (earthquakes caused by landslides; they are usually local and weak);
• Artificial type (earthquakes caused by non-natural factors such as detonation of a great amount of explosives or a nuclear explosion under the surface of the Earth (tectonic weapon).

In addition, there three groups of earthquakes: strong, weak and micro-earthquakes.

The most damaging earthquakes in the human history

Almost every earthquake essay says that there is no precise statistics on the amount of earthquakes which took place on the Earth during its history. However, there are over a million registered earthquakes annually in the world. Nevertheless, some of the most damaging earthquakes still stand out in our memory.

For example, the Ganja earthquake remains one of the most infamous disasters of this kind. It took place in 1136 near the Ganja city in Azerbaijan. As a result, the mount Capaz collapsed and partitioned the way of the river Ahsu off. Consequently, eight lakes were created. During this earthquake 230 thousand people perished. It is interesting enough that this case of earthquake is considered to be in top five earthquakes in the history due to the number of casuals.

Another catastrophic earthquake, known as the Great Chinese Earthquake, took place in 1556 in Shaanxi. It killed approximately 830 thousand people, which is thought to be the biggest number of killed people during the earthquake in the history. All buildings on this territory were destroyed and a half of local inhabitants died.

The most severe earthquake in the history of the United States happened in Alaska in 1964. Its magnitude was 9,1-9,2.

In your Haiti earthquake essay you should mention that it happened in 200 and had magnitude of 7. The property damage is estimated in 5,6 billion euro. 222 thousand people were killed and 311 thousand people were injured. The last earthquake of such magnitude took place on Haiti in 1751.

One of the most known contemporary cases of earthquake was one on the eastern coast of Japan. It has magnitude 9,0-9,1. It happened in 2011 near the eastern coast of Honshu island. Scientists claim that it was the most powerful earthquake in the known history of Japan. Moreover, this earthquake caused the massive tsunami, which resulted in the great damage for the northern part of Japan. The official amount of casualties as result of the tsunami and the earthquake is 15 thousand people. Besides, this earthquake caused the accident on the Fukushima nuclear power station. The consequences of this accident are still influencing the environmental situation. By the way, if you are interested in the subject of environment, reading the environmental issues essay is a good choice for you.

Safety tips for surviving during the earthquake

Since earthquake is a powerful and merciless natural disaster, every person should know the rules on how to behave when you face this danger. You can also mention them in your essay on earthquake. First of all, try to keep calm and concentrated. Do not give in to panic. In addition, you can find here some practical pieces of advice, which will help you to deal with this extreme situation:

• You’d better have a plan for the possible earthquake case, think what you have to do in this situation, discuss it with your children;
• Be educated and heighten your awareness on the earthquake subject;
• Plan your dwelling in the way when in every room you would be able to find a safe place (the place where nothing is likely to fall);
• When the earthquake has begun, do not forget to turn down the water and gas;
• If the earthquake has begun, drop down and hide yourself under the table;
• If you are inside, stay away from furniture which is likely to fall;
• It would be a wise decision to get outdoor before shaking begins and find a clear spot without trees and buildings;
• After the shaking if you smell the gas leak, open the doors and windows, report the gas company;
• If the power is out, unplug all the devices in order to avoid damage after the power is back on;
• Check your injuries ad damages after the earthquake.

Remember this rules in case of facing an earthquake in order to be ready for this extreme situation. Enrich your knowledge on this subject when you have such opportunity. In addition, it would be useful for you to know that if you have some kind of troubles with your essays on earthquake, all you need is to use our college essay writing service.