Earthquake
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A trembling or shaking of the
earth that is volcanic or tectonic (seismic) in origin, often resulting
in severe damage.
Earthquake insurance
Coverage for property damage
caused by the perils of earthquake or volcanic eruption. The coverage is
limited to direct damage caused by an earthquake and excludes a loss
resulting from another peril even if it is triggered by the earthquake,
such as a fire, explosion, flood or tidal wave. Any earth tremors or
aftershocks following an initial occurrence within a 168-hour period is
considered the same event for claims purposes. Most forms provide
earthquake coverage as earth movement coverage.
In some jurisdictions fire
following earthquake is not allowed to be excluded by law.
In some jurisdictions volcanic
eruption is not a part of the earthquake coverage nor is it excluded in
a standard form.
In some polices Avalanche,
landslide or volcanic eruption, explosion or effusion are covered perils
unless they are caused by an excluded earth movement.
Earthquake exclusion
An exclusion in some property
insurance policies for any loss resulting from an earthquake or volcanic
action. Most policies contain a broader earth movement exclusion,
which includes earthquake.
Earth movement coverage
A form of
earthquake coverage that is extended to include landslide, mudflow,
earth sinking, earth rising or shifting, and volcanic eruption.
Blind thrust fault
A geological thrust fault that
does not break the earth's surface, making it difficult to identify.
Thrust and strike-slip are the other two types of geological faults.
Epicenter
In an earthquake, the point on the
earth's surface directly above the subsurface focus (or the point where
slippage begins).
Focus
As respects an earthquake, the
point in the earth along a fault line where the slippage begins to
occur. As energy is released from this point, it radiates outward in
seismic waves.
Liquefaction
In an earthquake, the percolation
of subsurface water through unconsolidated soils such as sand, gravel,
or silt, or the changing of unconsolidated soils into an unstable form
to the point where it acts as a liquid and causes ground failure.
Mercalli scale
A numeric scale with Roman
numerals that describes the effects of an earthquake, reflecting local
seismic destruction, as opposed to the Richter and moment-magnitude
scales, which more scientifically estimate a quake's release of energy.
The Mercalli scale is based on observations at the site and therefore
reflects the effects of soil conditions, distance from the epicenter,
etc.
Moment-magnitude scale
A measure of total energy released
by an earthquake that scientists generally prefer to the Richter scale
because it is more precise. It is calculated in part by multiplying the
area of the fault's rupture surface by the distance the earth moves
along the fault. A few well-known U.S. earthquakes show different
readings between the Richter (R) and the moment-magnitude (M) scales:
earthquake R M New Madrid, MO, 1812 8.7 8.1 San Francisco, 1906 8.3 7.7
Alaska, 1964 8.4 9.2 Northridge, CA, 1994 6.4 6.7
Off-set ground motion
As respects an earthquake, the
shaking of the ground caused by movement along a geological fault line
in opposite directions, which can create a vibration effect on
structures, causing them to collapse.
Richter scale
The Richter scale measures the
amount of energy released by an earthquake. It is a logarithmic scale,
so each whole number on the scale indicates an earthquake ten times more
powerful than the preceding number. An earthquake reading 1.5 is the
smallest tremor that people can feel, though most tremors that small are
not felt.
Seismograph
An instrument to measure and
record vibrations and tremors within the earth.
Strike-slip fault
A geological fault where each side
slips past the other without significant vertical motion. This is the
most predominant type of fault in the United States. It is one of three
types of fault, along with blind thrust and thrust faults.
Thrust fault
One of three type of geological
faults (with blind thrust and strike-slip). One side of the fault rides
up over the other. This vertical motion can cause especially violent
shaking.
Volcanic action
A violent explosion in a vent in
the earth's crust (eruption), which results in the flow of lava,
discharge of ash and dust, volcanic blast or shock waves. The term does
not include loss from any form of earth movement. Coverage for loss by
volcanic action is provided in most property insurance forms. Coverage
does not extend to the cost of removing ash, dust, or particulate matter
that does not cause direct physical loss or damage to the insured
property.
Volcanic eruption
The earth movement associated with
a volcanic action including the eruption, explosion or effusion.
Coverage for this peril is specifically excluded from property insurance
forms but is included with earth movement and earthquake coverage.\
INSURANCE DEFINITIONS
For definitions of various forms of insurance refer to Insurance Marketplace (Rough Notes)
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