Table of Contents
- 1 Which type of earthquake would cause the most damage?
- 2 What magnitude earthquake will cause damage?
- 3 Which type of wave causes earthquake damage?
- 4 What are effects of earthquakes?
- 5 How does ammonium nitrate explode in Beirut?
- 6 What are the 4 types of earthquake waves?
- 7 How big of an earthquake is too big to be dangerous?
- 8 What is the magnitude of an earthquake above which damage occurs?
Which type of earthquake would cause the most damage?
Shallow quakes generally tend to be more damaging than deeper quakes. Seismic waves from deep quakes have to travel farther to the surface, losing energy along the way.
What magnitude earthquake will cause damage?
Earthquake Magnitude Scale
| Magnitude | Earthquake Effects | Estimated Number Each Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5 to 5.4 | Often felt, but only causes minor damage. | 500,000 |
| 5.5 to 6.0 | Slight damage to buildings and other structures. | 350 |
| 6.1 to 6.9 | May cause a lot of damage in very populated areas. | 100 |
| 7.0 to 7.9 | Major earthquake. Serious damage. | 10-15 |
What caused the Beirut explosion?
The initial explosion, at about 18:07 local time (15:07 UTC), likely triggered by the stored fireworks, sent up a large cloud of smoke and a crackle of bright firework flashes, and heavily damaged the structure of Warehouse 12 itself with a force equivalent to around 1.5-2.5 tons of TNT.
Which type of wave causes earthquake damage?
Surface waves
Surface waves, in contrast to body waves can only move along the surface. They arrive after the main P and S waves and are confined to the outer layers of the Earth. They cause the most surface destruction. Earthquake surface waves are divided into two different categories: Love and Rayleigh.
What are effects of earthquakes?
The primary effects of earthquakes are ground shaking, ground rupture, landslides, tsunamis, and liquefaction. Fires are probably the single most important secondary effect of earthquakes.
What is the magnitude of an earthquake that can cause serious damage in areas across several hundred miles?
8.0-8.9
It is a base-10 logarithmic scale….What is the Richter Magnitude Scale?
| Richter magnitude | Description | Earthquake effect |
|---|---|---|
| 8.0-8.9 | Great | Can cause serious damage in areas several hundred miles across. |
How does ammonium nitrate explode in Beirut?
A massive chemical detonation occurred on August 4, 2020 in the Port of Beirut, Lebanon. An uncontrolled fire in an adjacent warehouse ignited ~2,750 tons of Ammonium Nitrate (AN), producing one of the most devastating blasts in recent history.
What are the 4 types of earthquake waves?
Love Waves—surface waves that move parallel to the Earth’s surface and perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation..
- P-wave Motion. P-wave:the primary body wave; the first seismic wave detected by seismographs; able to move through both liquid and solid rock.
- S-wave Motion.
- Rayleigh-wave Motion.
- Love-wave Motion.
What is the magnitude of the Beirut seismogram?
The seismogram is [+] situated at ~188 km S of Beirut. A first body wave magnitude estimation give also a magnitude Mb~4. For comparison this is equivalent in term of energy to 1000 t of TNT. An earthquake is caused by the sliding of rocks along a fracture, resulting in seismic waves with a complex seismogram.
How big of an earthquake is too big to be dangerous?
It isn’t that simple. There is not one magnitude above which damage will occur. It depends on other variables, such as the distance from the earthquake, what type of soil you are on, etc. That being said, damage does not usually occur until the earthquake magnitude reaches somewhere above 4 or 5.
News reports state the explosion was caused by the deflagration of 2.750 tons of ammonium nitrate stocked in the port district of Beirut, which is roughly equivalent to 1.100 tons of TNT.
What is the magnitude of an earthquake above which damage occurs?
There is not one magnitude above which damage will occur. It also depends on other variables, such as the the distance from the earthquake, what type of soil you are on, etc. That being said, damage does not usually occur until the earthquake magnitude reaches somewhere above 4 or 5.