Post by Paddy by Grace on Apr 6, 2010 15:18:28 GMT -7
www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/local/why-are-there-so-many-earthquakes%3F-040510
RESTON, Va. - There was a deadly earthquake in Haiti, then Chile and now Mexico. Three major quakes in three different places in just three months. Is it a coincidence?
Dr. Mike Blanpied, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey, says this is probably so.
"The fact that we've had a couple of magnitude seven earthquakes is not unusual. Every year, we have at least a dozen magnitude seven earthquakes around the world," said Blanpied.
In the lobby at U.S. Geological Survey, they are measuring seismic activity from aftershocks of the most recent Mexico earthquake. They are measurable all the way in Tuscon, Arizona. Most earthquakes happen at the boundaries where the earth's tectonic plates meet.
"As the plates try to sheer past each other, they get hung up. The friction keeps them from moving and the stress builds and builds until boom! The faults slide. It's that sudden jerking motion of the Earth that throws seismic waves out in all directions," said Blanpied.
There are lots of fault lines on the East Coast. In fact, there's one at Great Falls. It's an inactive fault and relatively speaking, Washington D.C., Virginia and Maryland are at pretty low risk when it comes to earthquakes.
If you ever are inside a building during an earthquake, get under a table to avoid being hit by falling objects. If you are outside, move away from buildings. If you want to dodge earthquakes altogether, then move to Florida. There's almost no chance of an earthquake there, but they have other hazards. Just ask anyone who has been in a hurricane.
OR... YOU COULD JUST BELIVE WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS,
Mat 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
RESTON, Va. - There was a deadly earthquake in Haiti, then Chile and now Mexico. Three major quakes in three different places in just three months. Is it a coincidence?
Dr. Mike Blanpied, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey, says this is probably so.
"The fact that we've had a couple of magnitude seven earthquakes is not unusual. Every year, we have at least a dozen magnitude seven earthquakes around the world," said Blanpied.
In the lobby at U.S. Geological Survey, they are measuring seismic activity from aftershocks of the most recent Mexico earthquake. They are measurable all the way in Tuscon, Arizona. Most earthquakes happen at the boundaries where the earth's tectonic plates meet.
"As the plates try to sheer past each other, they get hung up. The friction keeps them from moving and the stress builds and builds until boom! The faults slide. It's that sudden jerking motion of the Earth that throws seismic waves out in all directions," said Blanpied.
There are lots of fault lines on the East Coast. In fact, there's one at Great Falls. It's an inactive fault and relatively speaking, Washington D.C., Virginia and Maryland are at pretty low risk when it comes to earthquakes.
If you ever are inside a building during an earthquake, get under a table to avoid being hit by falling objects. If you are outside, move away from buildings. If you want to dodge earthquakes altogether, then move to Florida. There's almost no chance of an earthquake there, but they have other hazards. Just ask anyone who has been in a hurricane.
OR... YOU COULD JUST BELIVE WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS,
Mat 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.