Seismicity is the frequency or number of earthquakes in a region. From 1960 to 2015 New Zealand has had 28,180 earthquakes. Many of these are small but around 250 are big enough to be felt. To prevent earthquake catastrophe they have strict building codes. In 2015 funding began for Natural Hazards Research Platform created by the Government for natural hazard research. Which encompasses five themes – building geological hazard models; predicting weather flood and coastal hazards; developing regional and national risk evaluation models; improving societal resilience; and improving the resilience of buildings and infrastructure. They do not have warning systems due to they think population will react with such warning.
Resources
"Earthquake FAQ." - Earthquake. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.
"Earthquake Facts and Statistics." - Earthquake. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.
"New Zealand: Christchurch Earthquakes 2010-2011." - News. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.
"Strict Building Codes Limit New Zealand Quake Damage - Business Insurance." Business Insurance. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.
"Time to Invest in Quake Warning System?" Stuff. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.
Hey Rebecca! It's great that New Zealand has strict building codes in order to prevent property damage by earthquakes. Nepal doesn't have such codes due to the political corruption and lack of monetary funds. But it is getting better with time. There are more programs that have begun retrofitting schools and hospitals. It also looks like the depths of most earthquakes in New Zealand are more than 100 km. That's probably why most earthquakes aren't felt in the country. You mentioned that there isn't a warning system in place for New Zealand. Is that because earthquakes are so infrequent and the population is highly educated about what to do in such circumstances?
ReplyDeleteHello Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteMy country is Fiji, not too far off. Fiji also has very strict building codes to prevent buildings from having structural damage during natural disasters. I am so sorry to hear that Nepal does not have the same strict codes because of their corrupt government. The way I see it, any place that is at risk for a disaster should be prepared for one and protecting their population to the best of their abilities.
yes, I am also surprised they do not have warning systems...they have one "San Andreas' fault crossing their southern island..... very interesting...
ReplyDeleteyes, I am also surprised they do not have warning systems...they have one "San Andreas' fault crossing their southern island..... very interesting...
ReplyDelete