Earthquakes – Could Man be Responsible in Some Way?

We all know about the more recent Earthquakes like the one in Christchurch, New Zealand on the 22^nd February this year and Fridays’ Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan.

So far this year there has been 1,516 earthquakes around the world and we are only 72 days into the year so that’s an average of 21.06 earthquakes a day!

I by no means proclaim to be an expert on climate change or natural disasters but I feel I need to explore the question – Are we to blame?

Can man really be responsible for something that happens miles under our feet? Does how we live our lives affect the moving of the tectonic plates and if it does how do we correct it? My initial thought on this is that we cannot be responsible for something we cannot see but then we cannot see the ozone layer and we are responsible for the hole in it. There are some ways which man has had a hand in causing earthquakes such as the filling of man-made lakes and underground explosive activity. But you would think that when this is discovered that man would stop what they are doing. Would drilling into the earth near a fault line and causing an earthquake then have a knock on effect? Would those first two plates that move then move the other plates attached to them and so on, like a domino effect? If it is discovered that man contributes to the occurrence of Earthquakes how do we right it and can we do with all the other issues we are trying to fight in the world. Is there simply too much do? Man will do as much as they can after the event has occurred to right the damage that has been done but if we are responsible in some way we should fix the cause therefore eliminating the devastating destruction. Is it a case of locking the stable door after the horse has bolted?

There are a whole lot of mitigating factors contributing to what happens after each Earthquake that occurs. The effect on the population and the land depends on where the Earthquake occurs and how strong it is. It also depends on what that Earthquake triggers like a Tsunami or a volcanic eruption.  Japan has hundreds of earthquakes every year and they construct their buildings to withstand the force of those earthquakes. However when you add in a tsunami which is always a possibility in Japan as it is an island with several fault lines just off their coast it becomes a different matter. Can you construct building that can withstand both? I am sure that there will be lots of planning and research about this as they try to rebuild what they have lost.

So what do you think? Are we to blame? Share your thoughts. 


BY TRACEY