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AIR DISASTERS D E A D LY S T O R M S E A RT H Q U A K E S E N V I R O N M E N TA L D I S A S T E R S
SADDLEBACK PUBLISHING, INC.
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EARTHQUAKES
FIRES M O U N TA I N D I S A S T E R S SEA DISASTERS S PA C E D I S A S T E R S TERRORISM VOLCANOES
Saddleback E-Book
DISASTERS • EARTHQUAKES
Earthquakes are caused by shifts in the Earth’s plates. Shock waves from these events cause varying amounts of destruction based on their magnitude. Often, earthquakes incite other disasters as well, such as fires and tsunami. Read here about major earthquake calamities in San Francisco, Mexico City, Japan, Lisbon, and China.
ANN WEIL WEIL
EARTHQUAKES
ANN WEIL
Air Disasters Deadly Storms Earthquakes Environmental Disasters Fires Mountain Disasters Sea Disasters Space Disasters Terrorism Volcanoes Development: Kent Publishing Services, Inc. Design and Production: Signature Design Group, Inc. SADDLEBACK EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING Three Watson Irvine, CA 92618-2767 E-Mail:
[email protected] Website: www.sdlback.com Photo Credits: page 29, Richard Berenholtz/Corbis; page 37, Owen Franken/Corbis; page 61, Bettemann/Corbis Copyright © 2004 by Saddleback Educational Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher. ISBN 1-56254-652-X Printed in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 08 07 06 05 04 03
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2 San Francisco, 1906, 1989 . . . . 16 3 Mexico City, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . 30 4 Japan, 1923, 1995 . . . . . . . . . 38 5 Lisbon, 1755 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 6 China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
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Chapter
Introduction
DATAFILE TIMELINE 1811, 1812 Earthquakes cause the Mississippi River to flow upstream. 1935 Charles Richter invents the Richter Scale to measure the power of earthquakes.
Where is the Pacific Ring of Fire?
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DID YOU KNOW? Earthquakes can destroy entire cities. They also cause tsunami and fires, which destroy as much, and sometimes more, as the earthquake itself.
KEY TERMS tsunami - huge waves created by an earthquake or volcano underwater shock waves - energy that travels underground, but causes earthquakes at the surface Pacific Ring of Fire - a band around the Pacific Ocean where two plates meet Richter Scale - a scale used to measure the strength of earthquakes 5
Chapter One: Introduction
You hear a rumbling louder than thunder. The ground begi