The intense ground motion reduces the friction and cohesion holding soil and rock together, causing entire hillsides to collapse. The combination of flooding and the physical force of the water creates a uniquely devastating scenario for low-lying coastal cities.
Coastal Flooding and Landslide Hazards After the Initial Earthquake
The local topography is equally important, as steep slopes naturally have a greater gravitational potential energy that shaking can more easily convert into kinetic motion. However, the conclusion of the primary shaking is only the beginning of a complex and often destructive second act.
This hazard is particularly insidious because it is difficult to predict precisely where and when it will occur, even in regions with a history of seismic activity. These fast-moving slurry-like masses can travel for miles, carrying trees, boulders, and vehicles in their path, and posing a lethal threat to anything in their trajectory.
Coastal Flooding and Landslide Hazards After the Initial Earthquake
Roads, bridges, and underground utilities are also severely compromised when the solid earth they rely on turns fluid. Landslides and Debris Flows Among the most visually dramatic secondary hazards, landslides occur when seismic shaking destabilizes slopes that were previously stable.
More About Secondary earthquake hazards
Looking at Secondary earthquake hazards from another angle can help expand the discussion and give readers a second clear paragraph under the same section.
More perspective on Secondary earthquake hazards can make the topic easier to follow by connecting earlier points with a few simple takeaways.
