Earth and space sciences topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Earth and space sciences topic - Essay Example Social media sites also were buzzing with news of the earthquake. Another reason people in central Chile were so upset is the fact that this same area suffered a massive 8.8 earthquake that killed hundreds of people and created a tsunami. Over 200,000 homes were destroyed in the quake two years ago. Many of the survivors blame the government for the high death toll because a faulty tsunami warning system led people to believe that the tsunami would not be destructive. The opposite turned out to be true. Over 30 billion dollars in damage resulted from the combined destructive forces of the earthquake and tsunami. Government officials assured people once again that there would not be a destructive tsunami after this earthquake, but many individuals did not trust the warning system. They evacuated coastal areas anyway. In the end, seismologists were correct in their prediction that this earthquake would not create a tsunami. They could tell that the movement of the plates was not the right king of movement necessary for a tsunami to form. In this case, there was no sudden uplift of the ocean floor, which is a necessary element in the creation of a tsunami. "Quake Just Offshore Chile Disaster Area Causes Panic, but Government Says No Tsunami." Washington Post. Washington Post, Inc., 23 Jan. 2012. Web. 23 Jan. 2012.