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Earthquake Damage to Transportation Systems

Entry ID: gov.noaa.ngdc.G01197

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Summary

Abstract: ABSTRACT: Earthquakes represent one of the most destructive natural hazards known to man. A serious result of large-magnitude earthquakes is the disruption of transportation systems, which limits post-disaster emergency response. Damage to transportation systems is categorized in this set of images by cause including: ground failure, faulting, vibration damage, and tsunamis. This set of slides ... depicts earthquake damage to streets, highways, bridges, overpasses, and railroads. Earthquakes in Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, Armenia, and the United States are represented.A large magnitude earthquake near a populated area can affect residents over thousands of square kilometers and cause billions of dollars in property damage. Such an event can kill or injure thousands of residents disrupt the socioeconomic environment for months, sometimes years. A serious result of a large-magnitude earthquake is the disruption oftransportation systems, which limits post-disaster emergency response. Movement of emergency vehicles, such as police cars, fire trucks and ambulances, is often severely restricted. Damage to transportation systems is categorized below by cause including: ground failure, faulting, vibration damage, and tsunamis. Ground Failure - A principal cause of earthquake damage to transportation systems is seismically generated ground failures in the form of landslides, lateral spreads, differential settlements, and ground cracks. During strong ground shaking, areas of clay-free sands and silts (where groundwater is near the surface) can temporarily lose strength and behave as viscous fluids. Consequently, highways and railways may settle or tilt in the liquefied soil, or are ripped apart as the ground flows or spreads laterally. Ground failure can cause movement of large blocks of soil on top of a liquefied subsurface. The lateral spreads, which break up into many fissures and scarps, usually develop on gentle slopes. In the 1964 Alaska earthquake, lateral spread failures damaged streets and highways, and restricted the use of railway grades and bridges. Ground failure also can dislodge rock and debris on steep slopes, triggering rockfalls, avalanches, and earth slides. The dislodged material is deposited on highways and railways, blocking traffic for hours or days.Faulting - Earthquake surface faults sometimes cross highways and railroads. Where this occurs, the roadbed may shift in the horizontal or vertical plane, or Roadway buckling sometimes results from ground shortening where thrust faulting occurs, and distortion can result from drag rebound or from concealed, closely spaced fractures.

CURRENTNESS REFERENCE: Publication Date

DATA SET CREATORS: DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC > National Geophysical Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce (comp)

FEES: $25.00 plus handling and shipment outside the USA None $195.00/$145.00 plus handling and shipment outside the USA

Purpose: PURPOSE: Make available Damage Photos for research and education

Related URL

Link: GET DATA

Description: View all slides in this slide set

Link: VIEW EXTENDED METADATA

Description: View Source Metadata document from the Metadata Manager and Repository (NMMR).

Link: VIEW RELATED INFORMATION

Description: Home page for NGDC Natural Hazards Data

Link: VIEW RELATED INFORMATION

Description: View all slides in this slide set

Geographic Coverage

(Click for Interactive Map)

Spatial coordinates

N: 61.13

S: 15.43

E: 139.03

W: -149.53

Data Set Citation

Dataset Originator/Creator: Please See Summary

Dataset Title: Earthquake Damage to Transportation Systems

Dataset Release Date: 1994

Dataset Release Place: Boulder, CO

Dataset Publisher: National Geophysical Data Center

Version: First

Other Citation Details: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazard/hazards.shtml

Online Resource: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/nndc/struts/results?eq_1=4&t=101634&s=0&d=...

Temporal Coverage

Start Date: 1946-04-01

Stop Date: 1989-10-31

Science Keywords

SOLID EARTH > TECTONICS > EARTHQUAKES > EARTHQUAKE OCCURRENCES

SOLID EARTH > TECTONICS > PLATE TECTONICS > FAULT MOVEMENT

ISO Topic Category

GEOSCIENTIFIC INFORMATION

Project

ESIP > Earth Science Information Partners Program

Access Constraints ACCESS CONSTRAINTS: None

DISTRIBUTION LIABILITY: While every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.

CUSTOM ORDER PROCESS: Contact Data Center

Use Constraints None

Ancillary Keywords

WDC/SEG, BOULDER > World Data Center for Solid Earth Geophysics, Boulder

DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC > National Geophysical Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce

Global

SEISMIC ACTIVITY

Data Set Progress

COMPLETE

Data Center

National Geophysical Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce

Data Center URL: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/
Dataset ID: ______Document ____

Data Center Personnel
Name: NGDC USER SERVICES Phone: (303) 497-6826 Fax: (303) 497-6513 Email: ngdc.info at noaa.gov Contact Address: NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC E/GC 325 Broadway City: Boulder Province or State: CO Postal Code: 80305-3328 Country: USA

Distribution

Distribution Format: TIFF

Fees: Please See Summary

Distribution Size: 24.0

Distribution Format: TIFF

Personnel

JOY IKELMAN

Role: TECHNICAL CONTACT

Phone: 303-497-6419

Fax: 303-497-6513

Email: Joy.A.Ikelman at noaa.gov

Contact Address:

NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC

Mail Code E/GC4

325 Broadway

City: Boulder

Province or State: CO

Postal Code: 80303

Country: USA

KELLY STROKER

Role: DIF AUTHOR

Phone: (303) 497-4603

Fax: (303) 497-6513

Email: kelly.stroker at noaa.gov

Contact Address:

NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC E/GC1 325 Broadway

City: Boulder

Province or State: CO

Postal Code: 80305-3328

Country: USA

Creation and Review Dates

DIF Creation Date: 2008-01-18

Last DIF Revision Date: 2011-03-10

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