PREDICTION OF EARTHQUAKES AND REDUCING DAMAGES

Krishna Kumar

Abstract: An earthquake also known as tremor or temblor is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth’s crust that creates seismic waves. An earthquake may cause injury and loss of life, roads and bridge damage, general property damage, and collapse or destabilization of buildings. The objective of earthquake engineering is to foresee the impact of earthquakes on buildings and other structures and to design such structures to minimize the risk of damage. Existing structures can be modified by seismic retrofitting to improve their resistance to earthquakes. Methodologies to anticipate earthquakes require to be developed, so that early warning can be issued to avoid heavy casualties and major damages.

Keywords: Earthquake, seismic retrofitting, seismic waves

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15623/ijret.2015.0402070