Today's earthquake was shallow — about 6 miles 10 km underground — but the epicenter was on land, meaning there aren't likely to be any dangerous tsunamis as a result, Caruso said. Given said he hasn't seen many damage reports yet, but Japanese authorities and scientists at the USGS will be monitoring the area for potentially dangerous aftershocks, which are smaller quakes that follow the largest event in a series and that generally decrease in strength. Additional damage can be expected. No one can predict that.
Follow Denise Chow on Twitter denisechow. Original article on Live Science. Before joining the Live Science team in , she spent two years as a staff writer for Space.
The message is clear: But where to begin? Nearly 31, earthquakes have been felt in New Zealand this year alone, and one of the most prone areas is the capital.
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Earthquake preparedness has been a high priority since the devastating Canterbury earthquake in February , which caused deaths and significant damage in the city of Christchurch. The city has since responded aggressively. A popular means of reinforcing a building is to add a steel structure. The most common type is the eccentrically braced steel frame.
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From the nearly 1, buildings in the inner-city that had to be demolished, it was clear that steel structures outperformed concrete ones. The storey Pacific Tower , the tallest building in the city, survived the earthquakes with only one steel link failing. Another advantage of fitting steel frames is the ease with which they can be examined after a quake: In an article in Modern Steel Construction in , architect Terri Meyer Boake called on her colleagues to embrace the opportunity to modify structural steel to help improve earthquake resilience — both in new-builds and when retrofitting existing buildings.
The majority was due to earthquakes. The building, known as Fa-bo, is owned by Japanese textile company Komatsu Seiren. These rods are 9mm wide, a composite of thermoplastic and carbon fibre, and five times lighter than metal of the same strength.
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In a design by architect Kengo Kuma, Cabkoma rods were attached from the roof of the building to the ground , wrapping it in a light curtain. The rods are also used in partition walls inside. The idea is to help the building move during a quake. As cities become more crowded, slums and squats grow, spreading on to surrounding slopes and embankments.
These areas are particularly prone to damage from landslides after quakes. CRED reported that the deaths from an earthquake in El Salvador in January were the result of a large landslide.
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Although this puts millions at risk of harm if an earthquake hits, seismic resilience is not always top of the priority list. Try to protect yourself under a table or doorway. Do not run outside, and try to remain as calm as possible. If you are in the streets, try to find protection from glass and other objects that may fall from surrounding buildings. After a strong earthquake, turn off ovens, stoves and the main gas valve. Then listen to the radio or television for news.
Tsunami Hazards
In coastal areas beware of possible tidal waves tsunami while in mountainous areas beware of possible land slides. Historic earthquakes Many parts of the country have experienced devastating earthquakes and tidal waves in the past. Earthquake measurement The Japanese "shindo" scale for measuring earthquakes is more commonly used in Japan than the Richter scale to describe earthquakes. Preparedness Every household should keep a survival kit with a flashlight, a radio, a first aid kit and enough food and water to last for a few days. During and after an earthquake Falling objects, toppling furniture and panic present the greatest dangers during an earthquake.