Facts on Shaky Ground
Sunday
The fifteen enormous tectonic plates which form the surface of the earth meet at fault lines, and stress from the pushing, pulling, sinking, and swelling of these plates often releases stress which we feel as earthquakes.
Monday
There have been many destructive earthquakes in recorded history, but those in China have claimed the most lives. In the last two millennia, nearly 1.3 million are estimated to have died in Chinese quakes.
Tuesday
Charles Richter and Beno Gutenberg were the seismologists behind what is now known as the Richter scale, a measure of earthquake strength. The scale is not linear but logarithmic, meaning a 7.0 earthquake, for example, releases about 31 times more energy than a 6.0 quake.
Wednesday
About 90% of the world’s earthquakes occur underwater in a very active seismic region known as the “Ring of Fire” which surrounds the Pacific Ocean. It is actually horseshoe-shaped and runs along North America’s Pacific coast, along the Aleutian Islands, through Japan and down to New Zealand.
Thursday
Earthquakes, as well as man-made shocks like large bombs, help scientists deduce what is deep below the crust in the center of Earth by the way the shockwaves are received on opposite sides of the earth.
Friday
Earthquakes are far more common than you might think, with about 55 measurable quakes happening every day. Fortunately, very few of these cause observable damage.
Saturday
Most tsunamis are caused by strong underwater earthquakes. Tectonic plates shifting position, particularly upward, push up on the water above, which can cause distant tsunamis as the shockwave of displaced water travels away from the source.