A tragic hero can be defined simply as the protagonist of a tragedy. The Greek philosopher Aristotle, however, endowed this individual with a number of specific characteristics. The first of which is his ability to evoke fear and pity from an audience.
Earthquakes can negatively affect the environment in a number of ways. The initial shock can trigger landslides, displacing soil and leaving the area vulnerable to erosion. Quakes can also stir up dust, pollen, spores, and other material and disburse it into the air.
HOW DO EARTHQUAKES AFFECT SOCIETY? The earthquake hazard poses the most serious intermediate term risk to the health, safety, and economic viability of many parts of the United States and throughout the world. Recent earthquakes demonstrated the risks to modern industrial societies from such cataclysmic events, affecting everything from massive loss of life, infrastructure damage, and financial instability. Much larger earthquakes can be expected to occur adjacent to many metropolitan regions in the United States. Examples: 1. The Northridge earthquake (1994) was a modest (magnitude 6.7) event which caused 57 deaths, over $20 billion of damage, and created major disruption of the Los Angeles area infrastructure.