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11.9 Why are earthquakes destructive?
- Ground shaking
- Surface waves radiating outward from the epicenter cause ground motion; up/down and side to side. The stress from this is damaging to constructs such as buildings, bridges, dams, etc.
- Disrupts infrastructure (water, gas, power, and roads), starting fires and limiting ability to respond and often damaging more property than ground shaking itself.
- Ground shaking also triggers mass movement (landslides).