In part I, we ended with the geological importance of volcanism. Let us continue with tectonics. Anyway, what were you doing that night when the fake earthquake alert was circulating on social media? (...Lol...)
TECTONICS
Tectonics is the disruption of the Earth's surface by internal stress due to the stretching, compression and other forces acting on the lithosphere. The internal stress due to the mantle convection eventually results into the spitting of the lithosphere of the Earth in almost a dozen pieces called plates. These plates move over, under and around themselves in the process called plate tectonics. The movement of the plates is the basis for the arrangement of continents, seafloor spreading and the live and property shattering earthquakes.
Just take a closer look at globe or world map it reveals some kind of pattern in the continents. Africa seemingly fits into the continent of South America upon reversal. Others will do the same imperfectly though. This means that the current locations of the continents were due to motion of the plates, and the motion is still ongoing. In millions of years' time, these continents will occupy different positions than they are now. Using Global Positioning System (GPS) to compare readings of the plate boundaries, scientists estimated them to be moving at a rate of few centimeters per year. A motion at the rate of few centimeters per year is truly imperceptible to us humans. Even the motion of the entire planet at a speed higher than the fastest bullet on earth is equally imperceptible to us. Yet we move round the sun at that speed as the plates also move under our feet at that speed.
These plates move apart resulting into many rifts and fault lines. The faults are fractures in the lithosphere. In mapping the world for earthquake hotspots, the Americas have the Pacific Ring of Fire to the west of the San Andreas Fault in California in USA. Pacific Ring of Fire and the Alpine-Himalayan zones are plate boundaries that extend into Europe and Asia, therefore responsible for most of earthquakes over there. The Alpine-Himalayan in particular zone goes through India, Tibet, China, and Japan as well as across the Mideast.
This will also explain why earthquakes are common in Asia than other continents. The rift between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula that was eventually filled water created the Red Sea. Apart from the East Africa Rift that extends from the Red Sea to Mozambique, it seems Africa as a continent has no significant faults and rifts even though some are developing. This might explain why Africa witness less earthquakes compared to Asia and others. In sum, the rifts and faults show that Nature has its own borders long before men dreamt of doing so in politics.
We have all been to the always naturally beautiful and airy beaches to relax. We watch that marvelous water called the sea, usually blue in colour. It roars. Its restlessness makes us remark sometimes that it is "boiling". So it is not surprising that religion filled the sea with all kinds of spirits, mostly the evil spirits. The holy books are full of spirits standing and rising from the sea. After all water that is not only restless but also roaring in that manner almost every day must have some evil spirits residing inside it.
Today, Oceanographers who engage in deep diving among others have a lot to tell us about the sea. Of course, they have not explored the entire Ocean or Sea yet. Nevertheless, we can be sure that there are no spirits inside the sea standing or rising out of it. The highest mountain on Earth is rather under/in the ocean, not the Mount Everest we all learnt in schools. The sea is indeed restless because the bottom is geologically active even more than the continents. Earthquakes and volcanic eruption that happens on the continent equally happen in the ocean on larger scales.
And when earthquake happens in the sea sending forth its destructive energy outward and outside it is called tsunami. The December 2004 tsunami that struck the coast of Malaysia, India, Bangladesh and others, killing more than 230000 people, injuring hundreds of thousands and making millions homeless given the properties that were destroyed quickly comes to mind. What a clever means of delivering imminent eminent supernatural message of end times for the second coming of Jesus Christ!
EARTHQUAKES
The motion of the continents due to the plates also results in building up of stress in these plates. As different plates attempt to bypass each other, they sometimes collide at the boundaries. This collision releases the stored energy (potential energy) in the rocks/plates. The released energy moves inside and through the crust as waves called seismic wave. Like the tidal waves hitting the shores of the beach making that sound, the seismic wave rich in energy thousand times more than the tidal waves destroy anything on its path amidst the louder boom.
An instrument called the Richter scale measures the ground motion caused by the earthquakes. An earthquake that registers 7 on the Richter scale is more energetic, violent hence destructive than the one registering 3 or 4. Human beings, their buildings, animals and plants are the only occupants of this earth at any given time that could be on the path of this released energy from the earthquake. Some will die. Some will survive but injured. Just as some buildings will collapse and others will still stand. It all happens by chance. It also takes nothing but the same chance to die or survive it.
I know chance is a heavily misunderstood word. Yet it takes chance to happen. It is "predictably unpredictable". It is predictable because the decipherable known forces or laws of Nature were responsible for its occurrence. Yet it is impossible to know with precision and certainty when it will happen before it happens. This is the same reason why meteorologists cannot actually forecast the weather with precision. However, once it happens the direction of the seismic wave can be monitored enough to relay warning to other people for evacuation if it is heading towards them.
Let me quote the conclusion of an article written by Dr. A. Ofori Quaah of Bedfordshire, UK that was published on ghanaweb.com on 26th April entitled: "another earthquake, another reminder" to bring Ghana into the bigger picture. "Ghana is currently experiencing seismic "space" and "time" gaps. In terms of the space, the area between Axim in the Western Region and Nyayanu in the Central Region has not experienced any earthquake for the more than four hundred years, while the return period of major earthquake in the Nyayanu-Ho-Akwapim Range Triangle has been quiet for close to ten years beyond its "return" period. All geological processes that led to major earthquakes in the past are still going today. And as surely as night follows day, it happen again". The article equaled pointed out the fact that earthquake happened in Accra somewhere in 1939.
CONCLUSION
There is a saying that men may have plans for the Gods, but the Gods if they exist have none for men just as they have none for other creatures. As glaring as the latter is, it is difficult if not impossible to accept. For this and only this reason, religion was born where men keep assuring themselves that the Gods had plans for them. Accordingly but misleadingly, natural disasters become supernatural messages, prophecies and signs of end time for the Gods to carry out their plans they had for men eventually. Interestingly, whilst the Gods do not kill themselves over which of the men's plans is true and good for all the Gods, men do kill themselves over which God's plans is the true and good for all men.
Plato of ancient Greek once said that there should be forgiveness for the child who fears darkness, but condemnation for the adult who fears the light. Darkness and light are forever the two irreplaceable poetically correct means of classifying information constituting knowledge underlying our beliefs and actions. Light will forever represent knowledge and rationality as darkness represent superstition and irrationality. Unfortunately, religion had hijacked and exclusively appropriated the use of light to its information before science was born. For this and this alone, many still believe the superstitious claims of religion as the light. Meanwhile, on a more serious note, we hope NADMO is not only ready for floods but also every geological activity including the less probable ones like hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis and earthquakes.
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