Learn the Basics of Earthquakes

Earthquakes are natural ground motions caused as the Earth releases energy. The science of earthquakes is seismology, study of shaking in scientific Greek. Earthquake energy comes from the stresses of plate tectonics. As plates move, the rocks on their edges deform and take up strain until the weakest point, a fault, ruptures, and releases the strain. Earthquake Types and Motions Earthquake events come in three basic types, matching the three basic types of fault. The fault motion during earthquakes is called slip or coseismic slip. Strike-slip events involve sideways motion—that is, the slip is in the direction of the faults strike, the line it makes on the ground surface. They may be right-lateral (dextral) or left-lateral (sinistral), which you tell by seeing which way the land moves on the other side of the fault.Normal events involve downward movement on a sloping fault as the faults two sides move apart. They signify extension or stretching of the Earths crust.Reverse or thrust events involve upward movement, instead, as the faults two sides move together. Reverse motion is steeper than a 45-degree slope, and thrust motion is shallower than 45 degrees. They signify compression of the crust. Earthquakes can have an oblique slip that combines these motions. Earthquakes dont always break the ground surface. When they do, their slip creates an offset. Horizontal offset is called heave and vertical offset is called throw. The actual path of fault motion over time, including its velocity and acceleration, is called fling. Slip that occurs after a quake is called postseismic slip. Finally, slow slip that occurs without an earthquake is called creep. Seismic Rupture The underground point where the earthquake rupture begins is the focus or hypocenter. The epicenter of an earthquake is the point on the ground directly above the focus. Earthquakes rupture a large zone of a fault around the focus. This rupture zone may be lopsided or symmetrical. Rupture may spread outward evenly from a central point (radially), or from one end of the rupture zone to the other (laterally), or in irregular jumps. These differences partly control the effects that an earthquake has at the surface. The size of the rupture zone—that is, the area of fault surface that ruptures—is what determines the magnitude of an earthquake. Seismologists map rupture zones by mapping the extent of aftershocks. Seismic Waves and Data Seismic energy spreads from the focus in three different forms: Compression waves, exactly like sound waves (P waves)Shear waves, like waves in a shaken jump rope (S waves)Surface waves resembling water waves (Rayleigh waves) or sideways shear waves (Love waves) P and S waves are body waves that travel deep in the Earth before rising to the surface. P waves always arrive first and do little or no damage. S waves travel about half as fast and may cause damage. Surface waves are slower still and cause the majority of the damage. To judge the rough distance to a quake, the time the gap between the P-wave thump and the S-wave jiggle and multiply the number of seconds by 5 (for miles) or 8 (for kilometers). Seismographs are instruments that make seismograms or recordings of seismic waves. Strong-motion seismograms are made with rugged seismographs in buildings and other structures. Strong-motion data can be plugged into engineering models, to test a structure before it is built. Earthquake magnitudes are determined from body waves recorded by sensitive seismographs. Seismic data is our best tool for probing the deep structure of the Earth. Seismic Measures Seismic intensity measures how bad an earthquake is, that is, how severe shaking is at a given place. The 12-point Mercalli scale is an intensity scale. Intensity is important for engineers and planners. Seismic magnitude measures how big an earthquake is, that is, how much energy is released in seismic waves. Local or Richter magnitude ML is based on measurements of how much the ground moves and moment magnitude Mo is a more sophisticated calculation based on body waves. Magnitudes are used by seismologists and the news media. The focal mechanism beachball diagram sums up the slip motion and the faults orientation. Earthquake Patterns Earthquakes cannot be predicted, but they have some patterns. Sometimes foreshocks precede quakes, though they look just like ordinary quakes. But every large event has a cluster of smaller aftershocks, which follow well-known statistics and can be forecasted. Plate tectonics successfully explains where earthquakes are likely to occur. Given good geologic mapping and a long history of observations, quakes can be forecasted in a general sense, and hazard maps can be made showing what degree of shaking a given place can expect over the average life of a building. Seismologists are making and testing theories of earthquake prediction. Experimental forecasts are beginning to show modest but significant success at pointing out impending seismicity over periods of months. These scientific triumphs are many years from practical use. Large quakes make surface waves that may trigger smaller quakes great distances away. They also change stresses nearby and affect future quakes. Earthquake Effects Earthquakes cause two major effects: shaking and slip. Surface offset in the largest quakes can reach more than 10 meters. Slip that occurs underwater can create tsunamis. Earthquakes cause damage in several ways: Ground offset can cut lifelines that cross faults: tunnels, highways, railroads, powerlines, and water mains.Shaking is the greatest threat. Modern buildings can handle it well through earthquake engineering, but older structures are prone to damage.Liquefaction occurs when shaking turns the solid ground into mud.Aftershocks can finish off structures damaged by the main shock.Subsidence can disrupt lifelines and harbors; invasion by the sea can destroy forests and croplands. Earthquake Preparation and Mitigation Earthquakes cannot be predicted, but they can be foreseen. Preparedness saves misery; earthquake insurance and conducting earthquake drills are examples. Mitigation saves lives; strengthening buildings is an example. Both can be done by households, companies, neighborhoods, cities, and regions. These things require a sustained commitment of funding and human effort, but that can be hard when large earthquakes may not occur for decades or even centuries in the future. Support for Science The history of earthquake science follows notable earthquakes. Support for research surges after major quakes and is strong while memories are fresh but gradually dwindles until the next Big One. Citizens should ensure steady support for research and related activities like geologic mapping, long-term monitoring programs, and strong academic departments. Other good earthquake policies include retrofitting bonds, strong building codes and zoning ordinances, school curricula, and personal awareness.

Definition and Examples of Interrogative Pronouns

In traditional English grammar, the term interrogative pronoun refers to a pronoun that introduces a question. These words are also called a pronominal interrogative. Related terms include interrogative,  wh-word, and  question word, although these terms are usually not defined in precisely the same way. In English,  who, whom, whose, which, and what commonly function as interrogative pronouns. When immediately followed by a noun, whose, which, and what function as determiners  or interrogative adjectives. When they start a question, interrogative pronouns  have no antecedent, because  what they refer to is precisely what the question is trying to find out. Examples Interrogative pronouns are all around us, whether you knew the name of them or not as you speak and read. Here are a a few examples from literature and other sources: Even if you do learn to speak correct English, whom are you going to speak it to?(attributed to Clarence Darrow)When a man tells you that he got rich through hard work, ask him: Whose?(Don Marquis)â€Å"I have water and Diet Coke. That was the only soft drink I allowed Howie to have. Which do you prefer?(Stephen King, Under the Dome. Scribner, 2009)What did you see down there in the kitchen? Caddy whispered. What tried to get in?(William Faulkner, That Evening Sun Go Down. The American Mercury, 1931)I got a belt on thats holding up my pants, and the pants have belt loops that hold up the belt. What is going on here? Who is the real hero?(Comedian Mitch Hedberg) Semantic Contrasts: What Versus Which Whether you use what or which in a question depends on the context of the question, whether there are specific items to choose from (which), or whether the question is completely open-ended (what). Of course, casual conversation brings exceptions. These pronouns express two semantic contrasts: (1) a gender contrast of personal (the  who  series) and nonpersonal (what, which):Who is in the woodshed? What is in the woodshed?(2) a contrast of definiteness: indefinite  what  contrasts with definite  which—the latter always implying a choice made from a limited number of alternatives:What was the winning number? [you must recall what it was]Which was the winning number? [you have a list of choices] Note also the use of what to ask about a role or status:What is her father? [a politician]Which is her father? [in the photograph](David Crystal, Making Sense of Grammar. Longman, 2004)What is used when specific information is requested from a general or open-ended possible range. Which is used when specific information is requested from a restricted range of possibilities: A. Ive got your address. Whats your phone number?B. Oh its 267358.(an open-ended range of possible information)[looking at a pile of coats]A. Which is your coat?B. That black one. However, where the number of options is shared knowledge among speakers and listeners, what noun is often used in informal contexts. Here, what is an interrogative pronoun used as a determiner: [talking about a shop]What side of the street is it on, left or right?(or: Which side of the street is it on?)A: Did you see that documentary about the SARS virus last night?B; No, what channel was it on?(or: Which channel was it on?) (R. Carter and M. McCarthy, Cambridge Grammar of English: A Comprehensive Guide. Cambridge University Press, 2006)

Active and Passive Verb Form Free Essays

Active / Passive Verb Forms Sentences can be active or passive. Therefore, tenses also have â€Å"active forms† and â€Å"passive forms. † You must learn to recognize the difference to successfully speak English. We will write a custom essay sample on Active and Passive Verb Form or any similar topic only for you Order Now Active Form In active sentences, the thing doing the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing receiving the action is the object. Most sentences are active. Basic form: [Thing doing action] + [verb] + [thing receiving action] Examples: – The professor teaches the students – Jonh washes the dishes. Passive Form In passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence. You can use the passive form if you think that the thing receiving the action is more important or should be emphasized. You can also use the passive form if you do not know who is doing the action or if you do not want to mention who is doing the action. Basic form [Thing receiving action] + [be] + [past participle of verb] + [by] + [thing doing action] |Active |Passive | |Simple Present |Once a week, Tom cleans the house. |Once a week, the house is cleaned by Tom. | |Present Continuous |Right now, Sarah is writing the letter. |Right now, the letter is being written by Sarah. | |Simple Past |Sam repaired the car. |The car was repaired by Sam. |Past Continuous |The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the |The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the | | |store. |s tore. | |Present Perfect |Many tourists have visited that castle. |That castle has been visited by many tourists. | |Present Perfect Continuous |Recently, John has been doing the work. |Recently, the work has been being done by John. |Past Perfect |George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic’s |Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic’s | | |license. |license. | |Past Perfect Continuous |Chef Jones had been preparing the restaurant’s fantastic dinners for |The restaurant’s fantastic dinners had been being prepared by Chef Jones for | | |two years before he moved to Paris. two years before he moved to Paris. | |Simple Future |Someone will finish the work by 5:00 PM. |The work will be finished by 5:00 PM. | |will | | | |Simple Future |Sally is going to make a beautiful dinner tonight. A beautiful dinner is going to be made by Sally tonight. | |be going to | | | |Future Continuous |At 8:00 PM tonight, John wi ll be washing the dishes. |At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes will be being washed by John. |will | | | |Future Continuous |At 8:00 PM tonight, John is going to be washing the dishes. |At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes are going to be being washed by John. |be going to | | | |Future Perfect |They will have completed the project before the deadline. |The project will have been completed before the deadline. |be going to | | | |Future Perfect Continuous |They are going to have completed the project before the deadline. |The project is going to have been completed before the deadline. |will | | | |Future Perfect Continuous |The famous artist will have been painting the mural for over six |The mural will have been being painted by the famous artist for over six | |be going to |months by the time it is finished. months by the time it is finished. | |Used to |Jerry used to pay the bills. |The bills used to be paid by Jerry. | |Would Always |My mother would always make the pies. |The pies w ould always be made by my mother. | |Future in the Past |I knew John would finish the work by 5:00 PM. |I knew the work would be finished by 5:00 PM. |Would | | | |Future in the Past |I thought Sally was going to make a beautiful dinner tonight. |I thought a beautiful dinner was going to be made by Sally tonight. | |Was Going to | | | How to cite Active and Passive Verb Form, Papers

Asset transformation transaction cost free essay sample

Financial Intermediaries help to channel funds from the lenders to the borrowers through indirect financing. Some examples of financial intermediaries are banks, credit unions, insurance companies and pension funds. The existence of financial Intermediaries helps to solve and reduce market Imperfections. Asset transformation theory deals with difference In the preferences of lenders and borrowers. Lenders also known as savers, prefers to have low risk and short term claims with high interest income. The deposits from lenders tend to be in small amount. Borrowers also known as spenders, prefers to have long term claims with low interest payment. The loans are usually in large amount that are risky due to the nature of business. Financial Intermediaries transform maturity by lending long to the borrowers and borrowing short from the lenders. Deposit amount on average tend to be smaller and financial intermediaries parcel these small amount of deposits and transform It to large loans required by the borrowers. We will write a custom essay sample on Asset transformation transaction cost or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Risky loans are transformed into riskless deposits to reconcile the preferences of the borrowers and enders through three different methods. Screening loan applications through credit scoring, diversifying risk by avoiding heavy loan concentration and pooling risk by applying law of large numbers to reduce the variability of losses. Lastly, deposits are contracts that offer high liquidity with low risk while loans are illiquid with higher risk. Financial intermediaries can transform the assets with different liquidity features through diversification of their portfolio. Transaction cost incurred because of time and money spent in performing tlnancial ransactions. Prior to granting loans, search costs is Incurred by both the lenders and borrowers to search for the suitable counterparty. Verification cost is then incurred by lenders to verify the accuracy of information provided by borrowers to evaluate if they meet the credit criteria. After loan is being granted, lenders incurs monitoring costs, auditing costs and enforcement costs to ensure that the terms and conditions of the loan are adhered to and in the event that borrowers defaults payment, legal cost will be incurred when instituting debt recovery. The existence of financial Intermediaries reduce transaction cost with the economies of scale, with the Increase in number of financial transaction, transaction cost per dollar of output reduces. Economies of scope Is a cost advantage when more than one product Is produce jointly rather than producing them separately. An example is that deposits are legal financial claims by which banks both collect funds to sustain their lending activities and satisfy request for payment services. Lastly, financial intermediaries are specialized in gathering and analyzing information. Even though transaction cost may cut down an Investors profit, financial Intermediaries help to reduce such costs. Despite this, there are several fees that are unavoidable but it would be usually worth the cost for the particular return of the financial market asset. ton Asset transformation transaction cost By svacuum Financial intermediaries help to channel funds from the lenders to the borrowers intermediaries helps to solve and reduce market imperfections. Asset transformation theory deals with difference in the preferences of lenders and nature of business. Financial intermediaries transform maturity by lending long to deposits and transform it to large loans required by the borrowers. Risky loans are Transaction cost incurred because of time and money spent in performing financial transactions. Prior to granting loans, search costs is incurred by both the lenders and intermediaries reduce transaction cost with the economies of scale, with the increase Economies of scope is a cost advantage when more than one product is produce may cut down an investors profit, financial intermediaries help to reduce such costs.