Earthquakes are one of the most deadliest natural disasters and is a natural phenomenon that we have little control over. Earthquakes can cause massive damage in a large area, and if there is a densely populated region near an earthquake, there is guaranteed to be trouble. Earthquakes are capable of causing enormous economic difficulties as it can trash an area completely. Recently, we had an earthquake of magnitude 8.1 occur in Mexico. A magnitude of 8.1 is extremely intense and Mexico had one not too long ago in 1985. Why is Mexico being hit with earthquakes so frequently? In Matt Steven’s NY Times article he says, “Mexico’s location makes the country prone to strong earthquakes because it is in a so-called subduction zone.” Unfortunately, countries that are located near subduction zones are hit with earthquakes of huge magnitudes. Countries located near the subduction zones are faced with many earthquakes because it is located near two tectonic plates. When the two plates collide, earthquakes are released. This is caused by the gradual friction being built up between tectonic plates. Overtime, the strain becomes too great that the plates snap and all the built-up energy from the movement of the plates is what causes such an earthquake. “The subduction zone responsible for the two recent quakes runs along the western coast of Central America, from Central Mexico to Panama, said Gavin Hayes, a research geophysicist with the United States Geological Survey. Other subduction zones are found across the globe — and experts say they are responsible for the world’s most powerful earthquakes.” (Stevens). So even if we know about earthquakes, what can we do to lessen the damage costs? Obviously we can’t control the earthquake from happening, but there are measures that we can take to reduce the effects of it.

One such measure is to implement new structural design to new buildings and old buildings alike. If we can make our structures in our vicinity earthquake proof, this is one way in which we can lessen the property damage an earthquake can cause. One example of this earthquake proofing is Mexico’s Torre Reforma. This building was designed to stand for more than 2500 years. With its unique design, it is capable of withstanding earthquakes of magnitudes around 8.5. However, “Materiality was a key component of the design process for the tower.” (Sayer). The costs of constructing this building is very expensive. This could be a potential reason as to why many countries have not implemented this feature in buildings yet. Countries that do not lie near subduction zone may be complacent with where they are now and assume that earthquakes will not hit them. We should not be thinking like this especially with all the fracking that we do. With all of the fracking that we have been doing in the last century alone, it is enough to cause a shift in how earthquakes are forming around the world. We have physically changed the way the plates are moving in a number of ways, fracking being one of them. Another one would be building artificial land in places that were supposed to be water. When we building artificial land or dams, we are changing the amount of weight at a particular region. That weight may or may not be significant enough to cause shifts in the tectonic plates, but it is something that we should be mindful of in our future activities. Because we are inhabitants of this Earth, we should be wary about its impact on us as well as our impact on it.

 

Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/20/world/americas/mexico-earthquakes-explainer.html (Matt Stevens)
https://archpaper.com/2016/07/torre-reforma-arup-mexico-city/#gallery-0-slide-0 (Jason Sayer)

 

-Aaron Y.