Background

An earthquake occurs when there is a sudden release of energy from the earth's crust. This produces seismic waves which in turn cause the ground to shake. In the 20th century alone, over 1.8 million people were killed as a result of earthquakes (Doocy et al., 2013). Research on earthquakes can focus on a variety of topics, such as forecasting and prediction, building design, geographical patterns, and safety measures (Liu et al., 2012).

Earthquakes vary greatly in their magnitude (strength), depth, location, and impacts. The damage caused by an earthquake depends on many factors including the earthquake's magnitude, depth, distance from populated areas, building construction quality, and the presence of secondary hazards like tsunamis or landslides. Research on earthquakes is important for understanding seismic risk, improving building codes, developing early warning systems, and reducing casualties and economic losses from future earthquakes.

References:

Doocy, S., Daniels, A., Packer, C., Dick, A., & Kirsch, T. D. (2013). The human impact of earthquakes: a historical review of events 1980-2009 and systematic literature review. PLoS currents, 5. https://doi.org/10.1371/currents.dis.67bd14fe457f1db0b5433a8ee20fb833

Liu, X., Zhan, F. B., Hong, S., Niu, B., & Liu, Y. (2012). A bibliometric study of earthquake research: 1900–2010. Scientometrics, 92(3), 747-765. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-011-0583-z