With Reference To At Least Two Case Studies, One Each From An MEDC and An LEDC, Explain Why LEDC's are More Vulnerable Than MEDC's to Earthquake Hazards.

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O.Armitstead

With Reference To At Least Two Case Studies, One Each From An MEDC and An LEDC, Explain Why LEDC’s are More Vulnerable Than MEDC’s to Earthquake Hazards.

An Earthquake is defined as ‘A series of vibrations and shock waves which are initiated by volcanic eruptions or movements along the boundaries of oceanic and continental plates.’ The point of origin is called the focus, with the epicentre being the place on the surface directly above the focus. There are three types of shock waves: Primary; Secondary; and Surface. The energy released by an earthquake, the magnitude, is measured on the ten point Richter Scale. The severity of Ground Movement, the intensity of the earthquake, is measured on the twelve point Mercalli Scale. Figure 1 shows a comparison between the Richter Scale and the Mercalli Scale.

Figure 1

The reasons why an LEDC might be more vulnerable to an earthquake are fairly numerous. These factors, that make it more vulnerable to earthquake hazards, could be seen as what classify it as an LEDC. These problems include: the quality of housing; the training that the emergency services have; Community preparedness; Prediction and Warning. LEDC’s could be more vulnerable to the hazards of earthquakes, but this does not mean that MEDC’s do not suffer from the hazards of earthquakes. It is also true to say that earthquakes do not only happen in LEDC’s it is just that these are often heard about, because the disaster is greater than comparative earthquakes in MEDC’s.

 

The quality of the building is a major factor of how dangerous the hazard of an earthquake could be on a city. A city in an MEDC, built completely of high quality reinforced masonry is much less susceptible to damage, then mud, brick buildings. Because the income in MEDC’s is going to be higher than that of incomes in an LEDC, people will be able to afford much better quality housing. This means that people living in MEDC’s who can afford better quality housing will be less vulnerable to the hazards of earthquakes. Table 1 is a table showing a comparison of the damage and the construction type of buildings.

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Table 1

The importance of building design, construction, and the nature of the rock or sediments they are built on, is clearly shown when earthquake statistics are compared. The 1988 Armenian earthquake (an LEDC), of magnitude 6.9, killed 25,000 people, injured 31,000 and made 500,000 homeless. Some 700,000 people lived within a 50km radius epicentre. See figure 2. Compared to the 1989 Californian earthquake, which was twice as powerful, where 1.5 million people lived within a 50km radius of the earthquake epicentre. In the Californian ...

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