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MoreVolcanoes and Earthquakes is a very important part for the aspirants preparing for IAS and hence the candidates gave special emphasis on Geography. Therefore, this topic is for a must go through for those who are preparing for government exams. In this article, we will be discussing about the Earthquakes and Volcanoes, their types, activities and more. What are Earthquakes?• Earthquakes can be summarized as vigorous shaking of the surface of the Earth, resulting from the sudden release of energy in the Earth’s lithosphere that creates seismic waves.• The seismicity, or seismic activity, of an area is the frequency, type and size of the earthquakes are experienced over a period of time. The word tremors are also used for non-earthquake seismic rumbling. Learn about different layers of earth atmosphere in detail. A. Earthquakes and Volcanoes Activity• Earthquakes often take place in volcanic regions and are caused by both by tectonic faults and the movement of magma in volcanoes.• These swarms can be easily recorded by devices known as seismometers and tiltmeters and used as sensors to predict imminent or upcoming eruptions. B. Intensity of Earth Quaking and the Magnitude of Earthquakes• The scale used to measure the intensity of an earthquake was first developed and put to use by Charles F. Richter in 1935.• This scale is used to find the accurate intensity of the shaking of earths’ surface, which helps in finding the magnitude at which the earthquakes occur. C. Frequency of Occurrence of an Earthquake• It is to be estimated that around 500,000 earthquakes occur each year, detectable with current instrumentation. About 100,000 of these can be felt. Many small or considerably minor earthquakes also occur nearly at a constant rate around the world in places like California and Alaska in the U. S, and many a parts of other countries in world like the Azores in Portugal, Turkey, New Zealand, Greece, Italy, India, Nepal and Japan, but earthquakes can occur almost anywhere, including Downstate New York, England, and Australia.• Most of the world’s earthquakes occur in the 40,000-kilometer-long, horseshoe-shaped zone also known as the Circum-Pacific seismic belt which covers up the most part bounds of the Pacific Plate. Massive earthquakes tend to occur along other plate boundaries, too, such as along the Himalayan Mountains. Types of Earthquakes• There are two types of earthquakes: natural and man-made. Naturally occurring(tectonic) earthquakes occur along tectonic plate lines (fault lines) while man-made earthquakes are always related to explosions detonation. Volcanoes• A volcano can be generalized by the rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass, object such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to readily escape from a magma chamber deep down the earth’s surface.• Earth’s volcanoes occur because the crust is broken into 17 of the major, rigid tectonic plates that float on a hotter, softer layer in its mantle.• Therefore volcanoes generally found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging, and most are found underwater. How does Volcanoes Erupt?Deep inside the crust of the Earth it is really hot hence somehow the rocks slowly melt and become a thick flowing substance called magma. Because of its slightly lighter weight than the solid rock around it, magma rises and collects in magma chambers. And then, some of the magma pushes itself out through vents and fissures present on the Earth’s surface. Magma that erupts through the surface is called as lava. Types of VolcanoesThere are basic three different categories of Volcanoes namely 1. Stratovolcano (Composite Volcano) 2. Cinder Cone Volcano and 3. Shield Volcano. Difference Between Volcanoes and Earthquakes• Earthquakes and volcanoes occur due to the result of plate tectonics. The Earth’s surface is covered with a series of crustal plates that move in response to convection currents, produced by heat from the mantle and core.• Geologists have concluded the formation of the various continents is a result of the movement of these various plates. Earthquake Events in IndiaVolcanic Mountains in IndiaVolcanoes and Earthquakes – Download As PDFBoost up your preparation and practice to brush up your skills by clicking on the link below which will take you to Testbook Practice!
Both volcanoes and earthquakes occur due to movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates. They are both caused by the heat and energy releasing from the Earth’s core. Earthquakes can trigger volcanic eruptions through severe movement of tectonic plates. Similarly, volcanoes can trigger earthquakes through the movement of magma within a volcano. Therefore, one aspect of how are volcanoes and earthquakes interrelated is the cyclical relationship where earthquakes cause volcanic eruptions and magma movement causes earthquakes.
Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in itself are dangerous natural phenomena which poses risk to humans. Furthermore, tsunamis are an equally deadly secondary effect caused by underwater disturbances such as earthquakes, volcanic activity, landslides, underwater explosions or meteorite impacts which pose significant danger to human lives.
What are tectonic plates and how do they explain volcanoes and earthquakes?
The outer layer of the Earth is made up of solid rock, called lithosphere. The lithosphere is broken up into 17 major separate pieces that fit together like a bad jigsaw puzzle. A piece of the puzzle is called a tectonic plate. The plates are horribly placed, with overlapping pieces, gaps, and are forced to fit with each other even when they don’t. Because the tectonic plates don’t go well together, it creates earthquakes and volcanic activity when two plates collide, diverge or slide past each other.
tectonic plates
Image: United States Geological Survey
There are three types of boundaries caused by tectonic plates on Earth: first, transform boundaries when two plates slide or grind past each other. Transform boundaries are horizontal movements of plates and do not create or destroy plates. Second, divergent boundaries when two plates create a gap in between each other. Divergent boundaries create ocean basins when plates move apart from one another. Third, convergent boundaries when two plates crash towards each other and overlap to form a subduction zone.
Tectonic plates are extremely large and can encompass both land and ocean. These tectonic plates interact with one another because of the Earth’s internal heat. This heat causes movement of material beneath the Earth’s crust and releases energy in the form of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Interactions between the tectonic plates occurs in three main places: first, oceanic-continental convergence, where the continent meets the ocean. Second, continental-continental convergence, where two continents meet. Last, oceanic-oceanic convergence, where two oceans meet.
So, how are volcanoes and earthquakes interrelated? Both volcanoes and earthquakes are caused along the boundaries of tectonic plates due to their movements and interactions.
How dangerous are volcanoes and earthquakes to humans?
How many deaths there are and how severe a natural disaster is depends on the interactions we have as humans with our environment. A strong earthquake can be completely overlooked if it happens in the middle of land where hardly any people live in, for example in December 2003, when a 6.5 magnitude earthquake in Central California killed two people. Consequently, a similar earthquake in a densely populated metropolitan area can cause many deaths, injuries and destruction of property, for example, a 6.6 magnitude earthquake in Bam, Iran killing 30,000 people, injuring 30,000 more and destroying 85% of property.
The same goes for volcanic eruptions, if an underwater volcano erupted in the middle of the ocean, it would have little impact to humans living far inland. However, if the volcano had been dormant for a significant amount of time and humans started populating the land close to the base of a volcano it would be devastating should it ever erupt. Further, indirect consequences of a volcanic eruption can have a greater impact than the eruption itself. For example, volcanic ash can induce climate change that have serious agricultural, economic, and sociological impacts on people’s lives.
To find out more about where the next volcano will erupt in Australia, read this article.
Tsunamis as a result of earthquakes or volcanic activity
Tsunamis are giant waves that occur when a large volume of water is displaced. The most common causes of underwater disturbances that lead to tsunamis are earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, especially because most volcanoes are underwater. Although tsunamis can also be caused by landslides, meteorite impacts and underwater explosions. Tsunami waves travel extremely fast, with wave speeds reaching up to 900 km/h in deep water. The waves get taller the closer they reach the shoreline because of rapidly decreasing depth of the sea floor, and slow down to 20 – 50 km/h.
