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 are caused by either volcanic activity or shifting of massive tectonic plates underneath the surface of the earth. The plates have a ton of pressure and are pressing against each other, and when the plates suddenly shift it causes the entire ground to move, shake or break apart.
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.