Eight out of the planet’s ten largest cities in terms of population are located in earthquake zones, a UN spokesman said. Earthquakes threaten people’s lives and safety in Tokyo, Mexico City, New York, Mumbai, New Delhi, Shanghai, Calcutta and Jakarta. Seismologists also predict major earthquakes in other large cities, including Istanbul and Los Angeles.
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© RIA Novosti . Mikhail Tsyganov
Eight out of the planet’s ten largest cities in terms of population are located in earthquake zones, a UN spokesman said. Earthquakes threaten people’s lives and safety in Tokyo, Mexico City, New York, Mumbai, New Delhi, Shanghai, Calcutta and Jakarta. Seismologists also predict major earthquakes in other large cities, including Istanbul and Los Angeles.Photo: Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.
Tokyo is located on the circum-Pacific seismic belt, which stretches along the west coast of the Americas and down the east coast of Asia to northeast Australia. This zone accounts for 68% of all earthquakes, particularly in Japan and the Philippines. About 100 kilometers northwest of Tokyo, the Eurasian plate on which the city is built meets two other plates, the Philippine Sea Plate and the Pacific Plate. Seismologists believe there is a 90% probability of another devastating earthquake in the region within the next 50 years.
A geological study conducted in 2008 that analyzed seismic data from the past 330 years shows that an earthquake with a magnitude of up to 7.0 on the Richter scale is possible due to the intersection of two geological fault lines about 40 kilometers north of New York. A nuclear power plant is located directly above the intersection. The probability of a major earthquake near New York is insignificant – seismologists have calculated that disasters can occur in the region only once every 3,400 years. Nevertheless, the consequences could be truly catastrophic.
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© RIA Novosti . Evgeny Bezeka
The Indian Plate, on which the city of Mumbai is located, was traditionally considered a stable structure free from any significant seismic activity. However, in 1962, a dam was built in the Koyna region near Mumbai to supply water to the city. The enormous pressure caused by the Koyna Dam reservoir created tension in the underlying rock, which led to a so-called induced earthquake on December 10, 1967. The magnitude 6.3 quake killed 177 and injured 2,300. There is currently a network of GPS stations in place in the Koyna region to monitor the dam structure and any disturbances in the Earth’s crust in this dangerous area.
One of the most devastating earthquakes took place in Calcutta in 1737, killing 300,000 people. Nevertheless, some physicists believe that it was not an earthquake but a cyclone.
Earthquake activity in China mainly occurs along the fault lines where the Eurasian plate forces the Hindustan Plate under itself, creating the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. Although Shanghai is some distance from the seismic zone, China’s largest city, with its many high-rise buildings, is not safe. The Great Sichuan Earthquake, a deadly earthquake which measured 8.0 on the Richter scale and killed nearly 70,000, occurred on May 12, 2008. The seismic waves reached Shanghai situated 1,700 kilometers from the epicenter.
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© Sputnik / Mikhail Tsyganov
Indonesia is located in the world’s most active earthquake zone and is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, as the circum-Pacific seismic belt is also known. Seismologists detect as many as 6,000 to 7,000 4.0-magnitude or higher earthquakes in the region each year. This is due to the world’s most active tectonic plates, one of which moves seven centimeters a year. Jakarta’s residents regularly feel shocks that shake the city’s skyscrapers.
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© Viktor Melnik
Los Angeles lies along the southern part of the San Andreas Fault, while another fault line, the Puente Hills fault, actually runs through the city. In 2007, scientists announced that internal tensions in San Andreas have reached an all-time high and that the pressure may cause a devastating earthquake. The local landscape is also changing. A large split in the Earth’s crust is clearly forming in coastal areas such as Carrizo Plain, 160 kilometers north of Los Angeles. Seismologists warn that the events could lead to an apocalypse that even the super-advanced construction standards and technologies used in Los Angeles would not help the city survive. If their foreboding predictions come true, a major part of Los Angeles may be destroyed.
The 1,000-km North Anatolian Fault stretches along the Sea of Marmara to the south of Istanbul, along the edge of the Eurasian and Anatolian tectonic plates. A total of 16 7.0-magnitude or higher earthquakes have occurred in the region in the 20th century alone, with each epicenter closer to the city.
