Earthquaks in 2010, a devastating earthquake in haiti left over 100,000 people dead and thousands more injured. Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed in a matter of minutes. Several factors contributed to the loss of life and property in haiti, including socioeconomics and the magnitude of the quake. but what even causes an earthquake and what makes it so severe? Think about sitting still at your desk. Even if you aren't actively moving, your body is still technically in motion. This is due to plate tectonics and the constant shift of those plates on the surface of the earth. When tension builds up between these plates, they sometimes fracture and fault. this fracturing and faulting is what causes an earthquake. specifically, the rocks have a tremendous amount of potential energy built up between them as they press on each other. When these rocks break or "fault." it causes a seismic wave that makes the "ground shake" characteristic of an earthquake. people can sometimes feel earthquakes, but other times they're so small that only specialized machines detect them. These machines are called "seismographs." Earthquakes are measured on the richter scale, which is named for its inventor charles francis richter. The richter scale goes from 0 to 10 plus, with lower numbers representing smaller quakes, and higher numbers representing larger quakes. people rarely feen an earthquake with a magnitude of 2 or lower. These are the types that need to be picked up by a seismograph or they will go largely unnoticed. An earthquake with a magnitude of 3.0-3.9 is called a "minor earthquake." these can usually be felt by most people, but very rarely cause any damage. often times people end up attributing these small quakes to other causes like large trucks passing or large public transit vehicles. Earthquakes on the higher end of this range may cause slight shaking of household objects. once an earthquake reaches the range of 4.0-4.9, it is almost always felt by the majority of people. These "light earthquakes" will cause marginally more severe shaking and may knock objects off shelves. These quakes are still highly unlikely to cause any damage, other than to knocked over tchotchkes. an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.0 or higher will definitely be felt by people, and at this level, there will start to be damage to buildings. "moderate earthquakes." those with a magnitude of 5.0-5.9, rarely cause damage to well-constructed buildings, but sometimes older ones will experience cracked foundations, electrical trouble and sinking. In a "strong earthquake," a quake with a magnitude of 6.0-6.9, damage will be seen in most buildings unless they are built ot be "earthquake resistant." the damage seen in these buildings will be similar to those done by moderate quakes except it will be more severe and happen to more buildings. Typically, there will not be complete collapse of buildings until the level of a "major earthquake." These earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.0-7.9 can be felt many miles from the epicenter of the earthquake and can cause thousands of dollar's worth of damage. "Great earthquakes" are those with a richter level of 8.0 or higher. Major damage will occur even to earthquake resestant buildings at 9.0 or higher, there will be permanent changes to the ground geography. There will also be near to total destruction of most buildings in the area. The earthquake in the haiti had a magnitude of 7.0 however, the damage was more severe than one would expect due to the types of buildings common in haiti. To make buildings "earthquake resistant," as mentioned above, is much more expensive than building typical structures. This is an unimaginable luxury to many haitians who live on less than $2 a day. Additionally, the lack of infrastructure led many buildings to be in violation of "codes" meant to keep people safe in times of disaster.
what is the point of the passage
