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Earthquake Disasters in Latin America pp 1–13Cite as

Darwin and Plate Tectonics

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Abstract

Charles Darwin felt and described the great 1835 Chile earthquake which destroyed Concepción and raised the coastline. He was the first scientist to suggest that earthquake waves could be similar to ocean waves. He also thought earthquakes might be caused by tectonic deformation of the earth. The physics of earthquakes is introduced and it is shown how prograde ground motion might destabilize buildings. Tsunami warning systems are critically examined.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico, DF, Mexico

    Heriberta Castaños

  2. Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico, DF, Mexico

    Cinna Lomnitz

Authors
  1. Heriberta Castaños
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  2. Cinna Lomnitz
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Correspondence to Cinna Lomnitz .

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

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Castaños, H., Lomnitz, C. (2012). Darwin and Plate Tectonics. In: Earthquake Disasters in Latin America. SpringerBriefs in Earth Sciences. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2810-3_1

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