Earthquakes

An earthquake in itself is harmless – anyone caught unawares by a quake in the open is given no more than a fright.

Only with human intervention does it become a disaster. A house needs to be built before it can collapse and bury its occupants, and earthquake catastrophes will inevitably occur as long as there are towns and cities in earthquake-prone areas.

The effects of any earthquake thus depend on a number of widely varying factors, including:

  • the inherent characteristics of the occurrence, ie its magnitude, type, location and depth; 
  • geological conditions where effects are felt, eg the path of the seismic waves, types of soil, water saturation of soil; and 
  • societal conditions reacting to the earthquake, eg construction quality, preparedness of populace, time of day (eg rush hour).


Follow the links in the right-hand column to find out more about Swiss Re's research and publications dealing with earthquakes.

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