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Teddy Frain
Mrs. Craig
Grade 8 English, Period 4
March 17, 2015
Effects of Earthquakes
In 1556, an earthquake occurred in central China that killed over 830,000. It is said to be
the deadliest recorded earthquake ever. Earthquakes have many devastating effects. They wreak
havoc on the earth, its people, and their property. The destructive power of earthquakes can cause
damage to the earth.
The effect earthquakes have on the earth is huge. For example, according to a brochure
when an earthquake occurs, it is actually two of the earths massive plates bumping or rubbing
against each other. When the plates collide mountains form and oceans pour into the areas
where the plate no longer is. Also, as the plates move new landmasses form causing plants and
animals that once lived together become isolated. Furthermore, according to a blog, an
earthquake can cause a scar that the author described as a jagged line of raw earth tracing across
miles of tomato fields. Often, these physical effects of earthquakes cause devastating effects on
people in their path.
Earthquakes have a devastating effect on people. For instance, according to a San
Francisco newspaper, a single earthquake that occurred in 1989 killed over 60 people, injured
almost 4,000, and left several thousand Californians homeless. This is clearly very devastating.
Also, earthquakes, can have a huge effect on human transportation and communication. The

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author of a blog stated that the earthquake caused traffic to come to a grinding halt. He also
said that when the earthquake occurred, the communications system got overwhelmed and
prevented people from making calls. The earthquake had also disrupted the radio system so only
a few stations are still transmitting. Earthquakes have a terrible effect on property too.
Earthquakes destroy houses and property and can cause millions if not billions of dollars
of damage. According to a news article, the final repair bill for a San Francisco earthquake came
to around $6 billion. For example, according to an insurance claim, the driveway of a house
destroyed by an earthquake was buckled and cracked. Also, most of the expensive appliances
in the house were broken. Furthermore, a lot of the walls were cracked and some of the floors
had caved in. The total repair bill for just that one house was an astounding 54,000 dollars.
Earthquakes can have a devastating effect on roads and infrastructure. According to a news
article, a double-decker bridge collapsed after an earthquake. The bridge was supposedly
reinforced to withstand an earthquake. Earthquakes clearly do a lot of damage to the earth, its
people, and its property.
Earthquakes wreak havoc on the earth. They do damage to the earth, its people, and its
property. For example, earthquakes cause mountain chains to form and can isolate animals that
used to live in unison. Also, earthquakes cause millions of injuries and deaths worldwide every
year. Lastly, earthquakes cause billions of dollars of damage to buildings and property. In
conclusion, realizing the destructive power of earthquakes, countries should take precautions and
invest in technology to predict earthquakes. Hopefully this can help the world plan for the next
one and minimize their devastating effects.

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