Editing Earthquake (section)

==Effects==
[[File:1755 Lisbon earthquake.jpg|thumb|1755 copper engraving depicting [[Lisbon]] in ruins and in flames after the [[1755 Lisbon earthquake]], which killed an estimated 60,000 people. A [[tsunami]] overwhelms the ships in the harbor.]]

The effects of earthquakes include, but are not limited to, the following:

===Shaking and ground rupture===
[[File:Haiti earthquake damage.jpg|thumb|Damaged buildings in [[Port-au-Prince]], [[2010 Haiti earthquake|Haiti]], January 2010]]

Shaking and [[surface rupture|ground rupture]] are the main effects created by earthquakes, principally resulting in more or less severe damage to buildings and other rigid structures. The severity of the local effects depends on the complex combination of the earthquake [[Richter magnitude scale|magnitude]], the distance from the [[epicenter]], and the local geological and geomorphological conditions, which may amplify or reduce [[wave propagation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abag.ca.gov/bayarea/eqmaps/doc/contents.html |title=On Shaky Ground, Association of Bay Area Governments, San Francisco, reports 1995, 1998 (updated 2003) |publisher=Abag.ca.gov |access-date=2010-08-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090921082202/http://www.abag.ca.gov/bayarea/eqmaps/doc/contents.html |archive-date=2009-09-21 }}</ref> The ground-shaking is measured by [[ground acceleration]].

Specific local geological, geomorphological, and geostructural features can induce high levels of shaking on the ground surface even from low-intensity earthquakes. This effect is called site or local amplification. It is principally due to the transfer of the [[seismic]] motion from hard deep soils to soft superficial soils and the effects of seismic energy focalization owing to the typical geometrical setting of such deposits.

Ground rupture is a visible breaking and displacement of the Earth's surface along the trace of the fault, which may be of the order of several meters in the case of major earthquakes. Ground rupture is a major risk for large engineering structures such as [[dams]], bridges, and [[nuclear power stations]] and requires careful mapping of existing faults to identify any that are likely to break the ground surface within the life of the structure.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.consrv.ca.gov/cgs/information/publications/cgs_notes/note_49/Documents/note_49.pdf|title=Guidelines for evaluating the hazard of surface fault rupture, California Geological Survey|publisher=California Department of Conservation|year=2002|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009065422/http://www.consrv.ca.gov/cgs/information/publications/cgs_notes/note_49/Documents/note_49.pdf|archive-date=2009-10-09}}</ref>

===Soil liquefaction===
{{Main|Soil liquefaction}}
Soil liquefaction occurs when, because of the shaking, water-saturated [[granular]] material (such as sand) temporarily loses its strength and transforms from a solid to a liquid. Soil liquefaction may cause rigid structures, like buildings and bridges, to tilt or sink into the liquefied deposits. For example, in the [[1964 Alaska earthquake]], soil liquefaction caused many buildings to sink into the ground, eventually collapsing upon themselves.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states/events/1964_03_28.php |title=Historic Earthquakes – 1964 Anchorage Earthquake |publisher=United States Geological Survey |access-date=2008-09-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623111831/http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states/events/1964_03_28.php |archive-date=2011-06-23 }}</ref>

===Human impacts===
[[File:Ghajn Hadid Tower closer view.JPG|thumb|Ruins of the [[Għajn Ħadid Tower]], which collapsed during the [[1856 Heraklion earthquake]]]]

Physical damage from an earthquake will vary depending on the intensity of shaking in a given area and the type of population.  Underserved and developing communities frequently experience more severe impacts (and longer lasting) from a seismic event compared to well-developed communities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The wicked problem of earthquake hazard in developing countries |url=https://www.preventionweb.net/news/wicked-problem-earthquake-hazard-developing-countries |access-date=2022-11-03 |website=preventionweb.net |date=7 March 2018|archive-date=2022-11-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221103025507/https://www.preventionweb.net/news/wicked-problem-earthquake-hazard-developing-countries |url-status=live }}</ref> Impacts may include:
* Injuries and loss of life
* Damage to critical infrastructure (short and long-term)
** Roads, bridges, and public transportation networks
** Water, power, sewer and gas interruption
** Communication systems
* Loss of critical community services including hospitals, police, and fire
* General [[property damage]]
* Collapse or destabilization (potentially leading to future collapse) of buildings

With these impacts and others, the aftermath may bring disease, a lack of basic necessities, mental consequences such as panic attacks and depression to survivors,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nctsn.org/trauma-types/natural-disasters/earthquakes |title=Earthquake Resources |date=30 January 2018 |publisher=Nctsn.org |access-date=2018-06-05 |archive-date=2018-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321183320/http://www.nctsn.org/trauma-types/natural-disasters/earthquakes |url-status=live }}</ref> and higher insurance premiums. Recovery times will vary based on the level of damage and the socioeconomic status of the impacted community.

===Landslides===
{{further|Landslide}}

China stood out in several categories in a study group of 162 earthquakes (from 1772 to 2021) that included landslide fatalities. Due to the [[2008 Sichuan earthquake]], it had 42% of all landslide fatalities within the study (total event deaths were higher). They were followed by Peru (22%) from the [[1970 Ancash earthquake]], and Pakistan (21%) from the [[2005 Kashmir earthquake]]. China was also on top with the highest area affected by landslides with more than 80,000&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, followed by Canada with 66,000&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> ([[1988 Saguenay earthquake|1988 Saguenay]] and [[1946 Vancouver Island earthquake|1946 Vancouver Island]]). Strike-slip (61 events) was the dominant fault type listed, followed closely by thrust/reverse (57), and normal (33).<ref>{{citation | last1=Seal | first1=Dylan M | last2=Jessee | first2=Anna Nowicki | last3=Hamburger | first3=Michael | last4=Dills | first4=Carter | last5=Allstadt | first5=Kate E | title=Comprehensive Global Database of Earthquake-Induced Landslide Events and Their Impacts (ver. 2.0, February 2022) | date=2022 | publisher=U.S. Geological Survey | doi=10.5066/P9RG3MBE}}</ref>

===Fires===
[[File:Sfearthquake3b.jpg|thumb|Fires of the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake]]]]
{{Further|Conflagration}}

Earthquakes can cause fires by damaging [[electric power|electrical power]] or gas lines. In the event of water mains rupturing and a loss of pressure, it may also become difficult to stop the spread of a fire once it has started. For example, more deaths in the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake]] were caused by fire than by the earthquake itself.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/1906/18april/index.php|title=The Great 1906 San Francisco earthquake of 1906|publisher=United States Geological Survey|access-date=2008-09-15|archive-date=2017-02-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211170826/https://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/1906/18april/index.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Tsunami===
[[File:2004-tsunami.jpg|thumb|The tsunami of the [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake]]]]
{{main|Tsunami}}

Tsunamis are long-wavelength, long-period sea waves produced by the sudden or abrupt movement of large volumes of water—including when an earthquake [[Submarine earthquake|occurs at sea]]. In the open ocean, the distance between wave crests can surpass {{convert|100|km|mi}}, and the wave periods can vary from five minutes to one hour. Such tsunamis travel 600–800&nbsp;kilometers per hour (373–497 miles per hour), depending on water depth. Large waves produced by an earthquake or a submarine landslide can overrun nearby coastal areas in a matter of minutes. Tsunamis can also travel thousands of kilometers across open ocean and wreak destruction on far shores hours after the earthquake that generated them.<ref name=Noson>{{Cite book|last1=Noson|first1=L.L.|last2=Qamar|first2=A.|last3=Thorsen|first3=G.W.|publisher=Washington State Earthquake Hazards|year=1988|title=Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources Information Circular 85|url=http://file.dnr.wa.gov/publications/ger_ic85_earthquake_hazards_wa.pdf|access-date=2019-12-01|archive-date=2020-02-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200204162651/https://file.dnr.wa.gov/publications/ger_ic85_earthquake_hazards_wa.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

Ordinarily, subduction earthquakes under magnitude 7.5 do not cause tsunamis, although some instances of this have been recorded. Most destructive tsunamis are caused by earthquakes of magnitude 7.5 or more.<ref name=Noson/>

===Floods===
{{further|Flood}}

Floods may be secondary effects of earthquakes if dams are damaged. Earthquakes may cause landslips to dam rivers, which collapse and cause floods.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.quakes.bgs.ac.uk/earthquakes/historical/historical_listing.htm |title=Notes on Historical Earthquakes |publisher=[[British Geological Survey]] |access-date=2008-09-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516173115/http://www.quakes.bgs.ac.uk/earthquakes/historical/historical_listing.htm |archive-date=2011-05-16 }}</ref>

The terrain below the [[Sarez Lake]] in Tajikistan is in danger of catastrophic flooding if the [[landslide dam]] formed by the earthquake, known as the [[Usoi Dam]], were to fail during a future earthquake. Impact projections suggest the flood could affect roughly five million people.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3120693.stm|title=Fresh alert over Tajik flood threat|date=2003-08-03|publisher=BBC News|access-date=2008-09-15|archive-date=2008-11-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122134305/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3120693.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>