Earthquakes.GS
Shake it Baby!
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USGS Earthquakes USGS Real Time Maps Powerful EarthquakesLargest Recorded Earthquake Learning Center
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Earthquakes Shake Terribly and It's Not Your Fault.This site is purely informational. We aim to create a place where seismologists, geophysicists, geologists, and the general public can exchange ideas.. Please send contributions to admin@earthquakes.gs |
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Earthquake FactsWhat causes an earthquake?Earthquakes are caused by transduction. The mantle or crust of the earth is floating. These floating plates come into contact with each other and are always in motion (slow motion). When the plates come in contact there is great force. The force will create one plate to move down and the other to move up. We call this process transduction and that is what creates an earthquake. When the plates move a lot, due to rocks giving way, you may get a large earthquake. What does a fault have to do with an earthquake?A fault is a fracture in the earth crust. The fracture tends to have smaller rocks located between two larger masses of rocks. Since plates are in constant motion, problems occur where fault lines become compressed, extended, or move in opposite directions. Since earthquakes happen at fault lines, seismologists tend to heavily watch fault lines. How do you predict an earthquake?One way is to put GPS stations along areas of interest. Then, you can watch the motion of the plates by seeing how much each location moves. By doing this, you will be able to see plate movement patterns and concentrations of small earthquakes that tend to lead to larger ones. This will help you to see fault trends and you can group together the areas of smaller earthquakes. Seismologists bury seismometers into the ground that detect tremors. Then a wireless signal goes to a data center for analysis. Foreshocks are one of the best ways to detect an earthquake. However, there is only a foreshock about 50% of the time. Do Seismologists accurately predict earthquakes?It is nearly impossible to predict an earthquake with any kind of accuracy. Does that stop people from trying? NO! There have been cases of seismologists predicting in advance,but these cases are rare. What seismologists have done, more so, is that they can pinpoint where the activity will occur and help to engineer man made structures to withstand the shock. How do you prevent an earthquake?The best way to prevent an earthquake is to avoid living near fault lines and in areas where the plates may come together. Did you actually prevent anything? Not really, but you can, in essence, prevent an earthquake from happening to you. This question is like saying, “Do you have the power of God?” I will have to say “no way” to that one. Some people think that you can use water to lubricate the fault line. Contrary to common sense, deep water injection is known to accelerate earthquake occurrence and is not known in any way to prevent them. How many earthquakes happen a year?Nobody knows, but the National Earthquake Information Center reports 12,000 - 14,0000 a year. It is so easy to miss an earthquake that the number is probably much much larger. Other scientists claim there are over 500,000 earthquakes per year. The good news is that very few of the earthquakes cause any damage. It seems like every few years you hear about a big earthquake somewhere in the world. What has been the deadliest earthquake?In 1556, an earthquake in China killed over 800,000 people. For a list of deadliest earthquakes, please visit http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0884804.html
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