Indonesian earthquake
On May 27, a powerful earthquake—centered about ten miles southeast of Yogyakarta—shook Java, Indonesia. It destroyed more than 135,000 houses, leaving 200,000 people homeless, and it killed at least 6234 people, injuring another 46,000. And volcanic activity on nearby Mount Merapi has tripled since the quake, sparking fears of an eruption.
The "ring of fire"
The continents rest on large plates of rock that are slowly moving around the surface of the Earth. Indonesia, a nation of more than 18,000 islands, experiences a lot of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because it sits along the “ring of fire”—the Pacific Ocean’s zone of active volcanoes and tectonic faults.
Just south of Java, the Australian plate is moving north at two and a half inches each year. Where the Australia plate collides with the Sunda plate—which includes Java—the Australia plate slips under the Java plate in a process geologists call subduction.
Pressure builds up along the fault lines where the plates meet. When the rocks separating the plates suddenly give way, the ground shakes and buckles in what we call an earthquake. Volcanoes are formed when the subducted rock melts and returns to the surface as magma.
How strong was this earthquake?
The United States Geological Survey says the quake measured 6.3 on the Richter scale. This quake didn’t cause tsunamis like the big earthquake in December 2004. But it was shallow—only 6 miles underground—which made the shaking on the surface more intense than other quakes of the same magnitude. And the quake struck at 5:54 am local time, trapping many people in their homes.
How did this earthquake compare to others?
- October 8, 2005: Pakistani Kashmir
Magnitude 7.6, 30,000 killed - March 28, 2005: Sumatra, Indonesia
Magnitude 8.7, up to 1,000 killed - December 26, 2004: Sumatra, Indonesia
Magnitude 9.0, more than 176,000 people killed by earthquake and resulting tsunami - December 26, 2003: Bam, Iran
Magnitude 6.5, more than 26,000 killed - May 21, 2003: northern Algeria
Magnitude 6.8, nearly 2,300 killed
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And here's the Red Cross overview of the situation, with suggestions about what you can do to help.
In the week since the quake, more than 1000 aftershocks have rattled the islands. Some scientists think that all the seismic activity may be contributing to the situation at Mount Merapi, where 11,000 have just been evacuated. Here's CNN's slideshow of the volcano.
According to today's news feeds, volcanic activity on Mount Merapi is increasing as 18,000 evacuees wait anxiously in camps.
In Friday's first 6 hours, observers documented at least 11 clouds of gas, ash, and volcanic dust, and 85 lava flows.
But some locals are returning to their homes, fearing damage to their houses or crops more than they fear the volcano.
Indonesian architect Eko Prawoto thinks that many earthquake victims could have survived had their houses been built of local bamboo and other flexible materials.
But bamboo houses are often seen negatively, as "poor peoples' housing."
Prawoto is out to change all that, designing houses that incorporate brick and "new" design into wooden structures that are able to flex and absorb the shock of earthquakes.
Dear Sirs,
To see science earthquake prediction,
Please, open here: www.free.bol.bg/infostart/eqpweb.htm
or here: www.infoeq.it/forum
Thank you.
people should be ready for earthquakes don't u think
Check details of Kashmir, Pakistan Earthquake devastation.
http://www.geo.tv/quake/
Wow...that really sucks!!
But if scientists are correct, and the year 2012 comes around, these kinds of occurrences are just going to get much worse! SCARY :(
★BRITTANY ☠BONES☠ TODD★
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