Compare and contrast earthquakes in contrasting areas of the worldPRAAG DOGRA

Japan, Tohoku - 2011 Background:

◦ The earthquake was caused by the subduction of the Pacific Oceanic plate (SIMA) under the North American continental plate (SIAL).

◦ This created a 9.0 earthquake on the Richter Scale◦ Furthermore, the sudden release of the tension and stress caused a 40metre high tsunami.◦ Occurred on March 11th 2011

Japan, Tohoku - 2011 Impacts:

◦ 16,000 deaths◦ 5 million people were left without water and/or electricity◦ Post traumatic stress disorder occurred in 1/5 victims◦ $300 billion worth of damage was done and ceased car manufacturing all over the world◦ Fukushima nuclear reactor plant 1 destroyed

Japan, Tohoku - 2011 Response

◦ 14,000 km of concrete sea walls were created◦ New stringent building codes were introduced

◦ Mass dampeners◦ Interlocking steel frames

◦ Earthquake warning systems were put into place◦ The Bank of Japan donated $183 billion worth of money to help to normalise the market conditions

after 3 days◦ The military had to bury the dead in mass graves

◦ Prevented rotting corpses from contaminating other sources

Haiti – 2010 Background:

◦ They were already reliant on foreign aid◦ Sitting on the cusp of a conservative (strike slip/transform) fault

◦ The Caribbean and North American ◦ Stress and tension on this fault had been built up over 240 years so far◦ The release of all the stress and tension caused a 7.0 earthquake on the Richter Scale

◦ However the focus was incredibly shallow, at only 12km down

Haiti – 2010 Impacts:

◦ 230,000 people died◦ 300,000 people were injured◦ 1000 deaths from cholera◦ 1 million people left homeless◦ 90% of the buildings near the epicentre were destroyed◦ 230,000 homes were destroyed◦ Synopticity:

◦ The prison was destroyed and released 4,500 criminals who went on a violent mass rape spree in the refugee camps

Haiti – 2010 Responses:

◦ International aid was called in and sent◦ However there were bottlenecks at the airports because there was no one in charge of sustaining them

◦ The government eventually handed control to the USA.◦ The Dominican republic sent in the most immediate aid which was enough to suffice 100,000 people per

day.◦ The EU gave $330 million to Haiti whom had the debt repayments waivered off by 5 months by the

world bank.