[The African Monetarist]

Earthquakes

occurring between

January 2021 and

January 2022.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the seismologist: The above visual representation depicts the frequency of earthquakes occurring between January 2021 and January 2022. Concurrently, a comprehensive understanding of earthquakes is essential.

 

Earthquakes arise from the dynamic movements along the Earth’s tectonic plates – expansive rocky slabs composing the outer crust. The composition of the Earth’s crust remains a subject of ongoing scholarly discourse, with researchers debating the precise enumeration of these puzzle-like pieces.

 

These plates, constituting the crust, float atop the mantle layer beneath. Fracture points at the junctures of these plates prompt the heat-induced expansion of molten rock in the mantle, compelling the plates to undergo gradual shifts of a few centimeters annually—either toward or away from each other. This perpetual movement, known as plate tectonics, has persisted for billions of years.

 

When tectonic forces cause plate edges to interlock, strain accumulates. Once this strain reaches a critical threshold, the plates undergo abrupt detachment, unleashing waves of pressure that propagate through the Earth‘s surface, resulting in an earthquake.

 

Countries and regions positioned above fault lines, where these tectonic movements manifest, are particularly susceptible to seismic activity.

 

In instances where earthquakes transpire beneath oceanic expanses, the associated displacement of water can give rise to tsunamis—enormous waves characterized by rapid propagation, capable of causing catastrophic floods upon reaching coastal areas.

 

 

[Onkọwe]

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