This article explores the connection between fault lines in the earth's crust and the occurrence of earthquakes, highlighting the devastating consequences they can have on cities built on these vulnerable areas. It uses the Bam earthquake in Iran as a case study, drawing parallels with other historical events and emphasizing the enduring risk posed by these geological phenomena.
The shaking started just before dawn, right beneath the ancient Iranian city of Bam. Within moments, the magnitude 6.6 earthquake had torn the city apart. Bam was an archaeological treasure in a sea of empty desert and yet the quake seemed to strike it like a bullseye, says Cambridge geophysicist Professor James Jackson. A third of the city’s population died that day in 2003 – some 34,000 people – and most of its buildings crumbled to rubble, including the famous 2000-year-old citadel.
Jackson had come to Iran as a PhD student in the late 1970s to help lay early seismometers detecting quakes. When he returned to investigate the Bam disaster, he remembered that another Iranian oasis in the desert, Tabas, had been levelled by a quake not long after his drive across the desert. And there was another town, Sefidabeh, sandwiched between two deserts (one named the desert of death, the other the desert of hell) wiped out just four years before that. What was going on? The answer was in the earth – these settlements were all sitting on a “fault” in the rock. Faults let water pool, making a city in the desert possible, but they are also where the ground moves when something else rumbles out of its depths: an earthquake. Cities across the world are built on faults. Some nations, like Japan, are constantly thrumming with quakes. In Vanuatu, which straddles the infamous Ring of Fire quake hotspot of the Pacific, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck in the capital Port Villa on Tuesday. At least 14 people are dead and hundreds injured, including some trapped in the ruins of collapsed buildings and embassies.Other faults lie quiet for centuries, past disasters fading from memory until the next big one hits. “It’s like a time-bomb,” says Jackson. The earthquakes that shook Turkey and Syria in 2023 were even bigger than the Bam quake, killing almost 60,000 people, and also on a fault. In Australia, quakes are usually less powerful but surprisingly frequen
Disaster EARTHQUAKES FAULTS GEOPHYSICS NATURAL DISASTERS RISK
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Hidden Salt Danger: Healthy Lunch May Exceed Daily IntakeA seemingly healthy vegan ramen from Wasabi contained more than the recommended daily salt intake for adults, highlighting the hidden dangers of excess salt in seemingly healthy food choices
Read more »
Delays ease after Melbourne's train network struck by 'equipment fault' in peak hourMelbourne&x27;s train network has returned to normal after suffering major outages during peak hour, with all but one of the 16 train lines experiencing delays or suspended.
Read more »
Is Leaving My Marriage My Fault?An individual struggling with the decision to end a marriage, feeling it's her responsibility, despite years of dissatisfaction and a growing dread of the future without fulfillment.
Read more »
The gospel according to Boris Johnson: it’s the church’s fault our kids are overweightThe ex-PM opines that it’s Anglicanism’s failure to spiritually nourish children that has made them junk food addicts
Read more »
The Fault Line: How Earthquakes Ravage CitiesThis article explores the dangers of building on fault lines, highlighting the devastating impact of earthquakes on cities like Bam, Iran, and the recent tragedies in Turkey and Syria. It also discusses the global prevalence of earthquakes and the risk they pose to urban areas.
Read more »
No-fault evictions leave NT renters at risk of homelessnessTerritorians are copping rent rises as high as 60 per cent while some are finding themselves on the street due to no-fault evictions and a lack of options for those doing it tough.
Read more »