Secondary effect – Those effects that happen as a result of the initial effect (primary effect) but later on

To remember the meaning of the term Secondary Effects, use the following mnemonic:

As the seconds (secondary) ticked by while she stood on the beach after the earthquake, she thought she would be ok – but there was a large after-effect coming.

The main secondary effects of an earthquake are:

• Fires, often involving ruptured gas lines

• Tidal waves, which can cross entire oceans before engulfing land thousands of miles away.

• Landslides, which cause huge amounts of material to move very quickly

• Diseases, such as typhoid and cholera, which can spread in the unsanitary conditions often left behind by a major earthquake