Describe how earthquakes can cause short term impacts
For Earthquakes in general, the energy released can cause some short term physical impacts such as...
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Sustained periods of ground shaking. In some cases this can lead to the process of liquefaction. This is where loose soil acts like a liquid during an earthquake. Most of the time, buildings and homes are built upon solid bedrock. However, building also happens on what seems like solid ground. But underneath a solid layer of compact sediment, there is lurking a loose layer of sandy soil or soil that had been saturated with water. During the shaking of a powerful earthquake, this loose soil will act like quicksand. When liquefaction occurs, the homes and buildings atop this soil can sink or fall over when their foundations loosen or break apart. The surface of the ground will become very uneven and unstable. Roads and pavements break into pieces and become hazardous.
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In mountain environments where earthquakes can occur, landslides are a common short term impact. Landslides are the downward movement by gravity of loose weathered rock and/or soil on the slopes Earth's surface. The shaking of the ground in an earthquake can trigger huge movements of rock and rocks and soil where the rock and soil where the slopes are steep enough.
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A tsunami is a huge wave, usually causes an earthquake under sea, which can eventually crash into the shoreline. When the earthquake happens on the ocean floor, water is displaced. This water forms the start of the tsunami.