Learning Basic Facts about Earthquakes

Natural disasters are very prevalent in our world today.

Certain areas are more prone to certain kinds of disasters

and storms than others.

There are numerous natural disasters that can cause

significant damage to areas where people have made a

living space. When people think of natural disasters, they

almost immediately think of tornadoes, hurricanes, and

floods.

What is an earthquake?

One type of natural disaster that people tend to forget is the earthquake. Earthquakes occur when

tectonic plants under the Earth’s surface shift and move past or on top of each other.

We obviously cannot see these plates shifting, but we can definitely feel the aftershocks of the shift.

Earthquakes can cause significant damage to buildings and homes, and any other kind of structure.

Earthquakes are rated on the Richter scale, which measures magnitude of the earthquake. The Richter

scale starts at a level 2, which is a microearthquake. Microearthquakes are rarely even felt by people;

they are merely recorded by seismographs.

These types of small earthquakes occur almost continually beneath the Earth’s surface, unbeknownst to

us human beings. The Richter scale continues in chronological order, with each number indicating an

increased magnitude of earthquake.

Haiti Earthquake

One of the largest earthquakes on record happened in Haiti in January of 2010. This earthquake was

recorded at a number 7 on the Richter scale, which qualifies as a major earthquake.

Haitian sources reported around 316,000 deaths because of this earthquake. Because Haiti is a third

world country that is stricken with poverty, the damage caused by this earthquake was severe.

Another large earthquake in recent history occurred under the Indian Ocean in December of 2004. The

tectonic plates under the earth shifted beneath the ocean, and because of this, a deadly tsunami swept

over the coast of Indonesia.

Around 230,000 deaths were reported as a result of this earthquake. As

you can readily see from these examples, earthquakes should not be

taken lightly.

If you live in an area that is prone to earthquakes, it is important to

learn how to prepare should an earthquake occur. It is often difficult to

predict when earthquakes will occur.

Because of this, it is important to pay attention to the news at all times

if you live in an area that is prone to earthquakes. States in the United

States that are prone to earthquakes include: Alaska, California, Hawaii,

Nevada, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, and Oregon.

Western hemisphere

If you live on the western half of the country, you should be aware that an earthquake could happen in

your area. Trying to ignore the possibility that an earthquake could occur in your region is pointless; it is

important that you prepare in the event of an earthquake-related emergency.

As the saying goes, it’s better safe than sorry. Although most earthquakes occur on the western half of

the country, earthquakes have been reported to have occurred as far east as Tennessee.

If you are concerned about the occurrence of an earthquake, you can purchase earthquake insurance in

Nashville to ease your fears. Earthquake insurance in Nashville will insure that if your property is

damaged during an earthquake, you will be compensated for the property that was damaged.

Photo credit: Worldslandinfo, Mag3737