Columbia Earthquake Case Study

1. The area in Canada that is more likely to be affected by a major earthquake (megathrust) is the coast of British Columbia. In addition to the coast of British Columbia, the St. Lawrence, Ottawa River Valleys, and a few areas in the northern territories are likely to have earthquakes. The area British Columbia is in danger because the border is along the mark where the Pacific, the Juan de Fuca and the North America join. The earthquake occurs when the 3 plates rub against each other. The Juan de Fuca plate is shifting east under the North America plate, a few centimeters each year. According to John Claque, the motion is curling the edge of the North America plate upwards, much the same way a rug would buckle if you pushed on one edge. This creates a major strain on the fault line until eventually, the north America plate "elastically bounces back", causing the mega thrust and creating the tsunami".

People may decide to live in earthquake prone areas due to environmental, economical, and social factors. One example of a social factor influencing someone's decision to settle in an earthquake prone area could be, that the family has lived in this area and are still living in the area (elders to take care of, siblings cousins). If there's land that people own, they probably depend on it to feed themselves and their family or they might enjoy the job they’re doing in the area. There are a few advantages of living in earthquake prone areas. For instance, along plate boundaries, geothermal energy is usually cheap and is also a clean source of power. Plenty of earthquake areas are near the coast, resulting in a good climate, as well as easy farming and