Earthquake hazards

The effects of earthquakes can be broadly grouped into two categories – primary and secondary hazards.

• Primary hazards are caused by the direct interaction of seismic wave energy with the ground. In most situations, this is limited to fault rupture and ground shaking.
• Secondary hazards are caused as a consequence of that ground shaking, such as ground settlement, lateral ground displacement, liquefaction, landslides and rock falls, tsunamis, floods, fires and falling debris.

Ground shaking and land-based secondary hazards are described briefly in this section. The other hazards are outside the scope of this resource.

In this section:

• Surface rupture
• Ground shaking
• Ground settlement
• Liquefaction
• Lateral ground displacement
• Landslides and rock falls
• Ground performance

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