Human Induced Earthquakes

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HUMAN INDUCED EARTHQUAKES AND THE THEORETICAL POSSIBILITY OF RELEASING PLATE TENSION ARTIFICIALLY Prateek Singh Lodhi, Saurabh Yadav CE642: Geological Hazards Dr. Javed N. Malik November 9, 2012 Human induced earthquakes and the theoretical possibility of releasing plate tension artificially Prateek Singh Lodhi, Saurabh Yadav Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, UP, India Abstract Natural earthquakes are caused by the movement of tectonic plates over the Earth’s mantle. The vast mantle between Earth’s crust and molten outer core accounts for 83 percent of the planet’s volume. It is filled with solid rock but, heated by the core and by its own radioactive decay, it circulates like a pot of impenetrable soup. That circulation is the driving force behind the surface motion of tectonic plates, which builds mountains and causes earthquakes. The destructive power of an earthquake comes from the momentum gathered when two opposing tectonic plates that may have been locked together for decades suddenly move apart. The result is that solid rock which normally moves only with the passing of geological ages accelerates briefly to 5,000mph, unleashing huge quantities of energy and creating a shaking movement of up to a metre a second. Scientists are working towards devising a method to create controlled earthquakes. These earthquakes are called ‘Human Induced Earthquakes’ or more commonly referred as ‘Artificial Earthquakes’. Human engineering has already accidentally triggered earthquakes, providing some initial concepts of how a deliberate strategy of tension relief might be implemented. Keywords: Artificial earthquakes; Human induced earthquakes; Lake Mead; Pulsed magneto-hydrodynamic generator; seismic 1. Introduction An earthquake is the result of slow and steady accumulation of tension in tectonic plates that

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