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Plate Tectonics and Earthquake Hazards in Los Angeles

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Submitted By jfaehn11
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GLG/200
Allen Fronabarger
PLATE TECTONICS AND EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS IN LOS ANGELES
There are many serious hazards associated with earthquakes in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. This includes ground shaking, ground displacement, liquefaction, fires, and tsunamis (Girty, 2009, Chapter 7). During an earthquake there are varying degrees of vibration of the ground, dependent on the magnitude of the earthquake. This violent movement of the soil can compromise the structure of buildings or other structures made by man, causing them to crumble to the ground and crushing anything, or anyone, that may be in close proximity. If some sort of structure, made by man or by nature, happens to lie upon a fault line, the ground displacement of the foundation of the structure can also cause immense damage by ripping apart the land. In some instances, where soil is highly saturated, such as coastal areas or low elevation, liquefaction is another hazard. When the ground shakes, any present liquid will rise up through the soil and make sinkhole conditions where structures can sink right into the ground. With this kind of destruction, comes the hazard of fires as well. During a violent earthquake, electrical and gas lines can be destroyed and exposed to ignition sources that can ignite and cause fires that may be inaccessible and be extremely destructive. Lastly, tsunamis are a risk to L.A. when there are quakes offshore that launch large quantities of sea water over the coastal land.
Earthquakes are a result of a large release of energy from the interior of the Earth that breaks through the surface. Many of these earthquakes happen when the edges of two tectonic plates that have been pushing against one another gives way to the destructive forces from below (Tulane University, 2003). The enormous energy that had been building up at the contact point is suddenly released and moves

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