The Significance Behind Earthquakes- By Ruthika Kella
Many people all over the world don’t know about the fascinating
world of earthquakes. Ever since people were little, they would assume that the
ground was shaking for no reason during random times and in random places. But
this, however, is not the case because earthquakes do happen for a reason, and
they do not happen at random places. Earthquakes are among the most destructive
types of natural disasters, so they should be taken seriously when one does
occur because it can negatively impact the environment.
Before discussing the environmental impacts of earthquakes, one
must know about how earthquakes are formed. Earthquakes are usually violent
shaking due to the movement of the earth's crust. The earth has four layers
known as the crust, the mantle, the outer core, and the inner core. The crust
moves due to the heat of the inner core creating matter in the mantle to move.
As the heat rises, it begins to cool and sink in the mantle. This cycle causes
the mantle to move, thus, allowing the crust to move as well. This process is
known as plate tectonics. The crust is filled with broken pieces known as
plates. The plates move in three different ways which are known as plate
boundaries. They can diverge which means they pull away from each other, they
can converge which means they go towards one another but one is on top of the
other one, and finally they can transform or slide past each other. These
boundaries can cause an earthquake.
Additionally, what are the
environmental impacts of an earthquake? Some of these impacts are disruption of
ecosystems, the adaptation of flora and fauna, the loss in life and landmass,
and the cause of environmental pollution. The disruption of an ecosystem can
lead to habitat loss, loss in biodiversity, and extinction of native species
due to the increase of invasive species. The lack of biodiversity will
contribute to the adaptation of flora and fauna in an ecosystem. Environmental
pollution caused by an earthquake can contaminate drinking water, and it can
create broken factories releasing pollutants into the atmosphere. This also
comes in to play with waste management being another issue in environmental
pollution.
Although there are many environmental
impacts, earthquakes can be caused by human activity. What I mean by human
activity is that companies that are mining or fracking oil or natural gas are
mining and fracking on the edge of a tectonic plate which triggers an
earthquake. We should be more mindful of what we are doing to not create deadly
natural disasters. How can we stop these human activities to prevent some
earthquakes? What can we do to help the environments that have undergone
destruction from the earthquakes? What are your thoughts about why we should
care about earthquakes?
Sources:
21 comments:
Your blog was so informative about the impacts an earthquake can have on us! I agree with the fact that humans should try to refrain from creating more earthquakes. I think we should let nature do what it needs to do and that means humans should not interfere in anyway. This could stop some of the environmental disaster created by earthquakes. Also, loved your usage of pictures!
To prevent earthquakes, I think that society should limit the amount of fracking that is taking place. I know that fracking causes many negative effects alongside causing earthquakes; thus, it should be monitored and limited. I think that the best way to help environments that have undergone destruction from earthquakes is to not only help rebuild their infrastructure, but build the infrastructure where it is stronger against earthquakes. Nice topic Ruthika!!
In order to decrease the amount of earthquakes caused by humans, we need to find a way to find renewable versions of the minerals that are being mined. This could lead to a decrease in fracking, therefore a decrease in human caused earthquakes. It is also very important to reform the environment the way that it was before the environment had undergone destruction. Earthquakes can have massive repercussions on the environment and it is very important that we try to control human activity that may contribute to earthquakes.
I really like how you implemented what we are learning in class currently to your blog. In your blog, you ask how we can prevent earthquakes from happening. After some research of my own, I found out that the oil industry has caused some significant earthquakes. I believe we must either be smart about where we dig into the earth or just minimize the activity as much as possible. Also, if we weren’t as dependent on oil then the demand wouldn’t be as high, resulting in less digging.
This blog was so interesting! I think humans need to limit the amount of fracking to decrease the amount of earthquakes. If we do not mess with nature, then the world will continue to move in its natural cycle withought added destruction. We also need to spread awareness of the damaging effects that fracking can do to cause earthquakes.
Wow this was very informational and interesting! I think we should limit mining and find ways to reuse the resources being mined or fracked. More people should be aware that human activities like mining can cause an increase of earthquakes. When more people get to know about this, more solutions could be discussed and actions might be taken in order to reduce the disastrous earthquakes.
This was a very interesting blog. I think that we mine too much and don’t know how to reuse resources used while mining. We as people need to figure out how to either reuse resources or find ways to mine less of our Earth.
It's incredible the massive effect humans can have on the environment ! Seemingly large natural occurrences, such as earthquakes, can really be influenced by human actions ! Many have already mentioned that reducing the legal amount of fracking is one way. In order to get this done, a petition can be started and with enough signatures, it can be taken to Congress for to be considered in order to have official deliberation and possible legislation passed.
This article was very eye-opening on earthquakes. While earthquakes are traditionally viewed as a force of nature, it was very interesting to learn that humans play a role in earthquakes as well. By reducing practices such as fracking and informing the public, we can reduce the devastation caused by earthquakes.
The tremendous impact earthquakes have on cities, countries, and ecosystems is something we simply can't ignore. Although some earthquakes are inevitable, the fact that some can be caused by human activity proves that we simply aren't aware of the consequences of practices such as fracking. I believe that raising awareness and adding regulations could reduce human-caused earthquakes.
I had no idea about pretty much everything in the read. The impact is so extensive and it seems like it is ignored for the most part. I believe most people have absolutely no idea about all the negative effects earthquakes bring with them. If we raise awareness I think that many people could learn a lot and help make a change.
I like how you brought up some human activities that increase earthquake frequency. Obviously some amount of earthquakes is natural from plate tectonics, but we should do what we can to decrease the amount of earthquakes that are anthropogenic. Earthquakes are already devastating enough, we don't need any extra ones!
People have no idea how much earthquakes can affect an ecosystem and a population. Earthquakes can cause immense amounts of damage to buildings, habitats, and landscapes. We cannot just turn away from the earthquakes and think that everything will be okay. These disasters will keep increasing throughout the years and shows no sign of stopping. Humans need to start raising awareness and realizing that earthquakes can affect so many things above the Earth’s surface.
Earthquakes are part of nature’s course and most people don’t understand why. The earth is a complicated place and earthquakes are one of these unique features that we like to call natural disasters. Humans love talking about how much destruction they do when in reality we do as much damage to ourselves than nature does.
Your blog post was very good and I feel like I learned a lot reading it! Honestly, I don’t think we can really stop earthquakes. It’s true that some are caused by human activity like fracking, however, I feel like history has proven that the more deadly earthquakes have been purely due to natural cause. Therefore, instead of trying to avoid earthquakes, we, as human populations, should try to prepare for the inevitable. Areas near fault lines know the impacts of earthquakes and adapt to prevent such negative effects. By forming a code by which buildings must follow to be able to yield minimal damage during an earthquake could easily help thousands of people.
I learned so much by reading this blog! It so devastating that some earthquakes are humans caused. Obviously we are not helping reduce the amount of earthquakes but many are from natural movement of plate tectonics.
Your blog post is very informative, and I like that you pointed out the relatively new theories about human causes earthquakes. I think that often times, human kind forgets that earthquakes are a natural part of life on the planet, and that they had been happening for millennia. In addition to the negative impacts of these earthquakes, I would implore you to look into the possible positive feedbacks due to earthquakes. For example, earthquakes could contribute to the intermediate disturbance theory and allow for an ecosystem to remain healthier in the long run by disrupting an existing cycle. for human beings, although earthquakes are destructive, she possible benefits is the opportunity to look into seismic activity as it happens and study the waves to pick up on subtle cue about the earth. I really liked your article, but I would also advise looking onto the other side of this natural phenomena.
I really like the way your blog was organized. The way that you split it into four sections each covering different information about earthquakes. I was also repulsed to find that humans have contributed to causing something as big as earthquakes. I think a way to reduce that would be not being as reliant on oil. I know it is easier said than done, but if you think about it technology is only going to advance from this point on and if we are capable of doing something as big as sending automated rovers to plantes 800,000 miles away, then you would think finding an alternate, more renewable, eco friendly oil replacement could be achieved. Doing that, I feel, could solve many of our problems, including man-caused earthquakes.
I find it really upsetting how earthquakes are measured based on the impact they have on humans. Ecosystems without human settlement can still be colossally devastated by this natural disaster. This is just another part of human selfishness and how that plays into every single decision we make.
It was honestly pretty devastating to see that some earthquakes have been catalyzed by the actions of humans, however it is not surprising. This blog was divided up well in the sense that it divided the different effects on ecosystems and human habitats when earthquakes inflict their devastation, and it is fairly ignorant for the magnitude of impact of an earthquake to solely be based off of the effect it has had on humans considering there are so many other living things and species in an ecosystem that also could have been negatively impacted.
This article was very interesting because I only thought that earthquakes occur from plate movement. I never realized that humans can also cause them. The blog pointed out some key parts such as earthquake causes and destruction. We should avoid drilling and mining near plate boundaries to minimize the damage of the earthquakes.
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