Earthquakes By: Megan

Where do Earthquakes happen? Earthquakes mostly happen around fault lines. A fault is the zone between 2 tectonic plates where they rub each other. Earthquakes mostly happen around the coast of the land.

How often do earthquakes happen? Earthquakes are very common occurrences on this planet. Today -- somewhere -- an earthquake will occur. It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year. 100,000 of those can be felt, and 100 of them cause damage. Even though we know they will happen, it is very difficult to predict where an earthquake will occur.

Involving the Earth Earthquakes involve the tectonic plates that are inside the Earth. The tectonic plates are always slowly moving, but they get stuck at their edges due to friction. When the stress on the edge overcomes the friction, there is an earthquake that releases energy in waves that travel through the earth's crust and cause the shaking that we feel. An earthquake happens when two tectonic plates slip past one another The energy radiates outward from in all directions in the form of seismic waves like ripples on a pond. The waves shake the earth and anything on it, like our houses and us!

What happens in an earthquake? The effects of an Earthquake During an Earthquake the ground will shake and objects may fall of the walls or shelves. After an Earthquake the area might be destroyed or perfectly fine, it depends on how bad the Earthquake is. Earthquakes teach us really big lessons on how to prepare for an Earthquake and what to do before it, during it, and after the Earthquake. Before the Earthquake you should have a flashlight, food and water. During an Earthquake you should find somewhere safe to hide under. After an Earthquake you should wait until the shaking is done and then look around to see if it is safe to get out from where you were hiding.

Most extreme conditions that happen in earthquakes The most extreme conditions that can happen in an Earthquake is that your community will be destroyed.

The scale that you use to measure earthquakes You use a Richter scale to measure how strong an Earthquake is, and how much damage it does.

What Happens After An Earthquake The aftermath of an earthquake can result in large holes in the ground where none existed before. In a mountainous terrain, landslides may occur and sometimes, small hills disappear or are leveled to the ground. Earthquakes can also be followed by smaller tremors like an echo. These are called aftershocks. Aftershocks are smaller tremors that occur in the same fault area where the original quake took place.

Key Terms Seismic Waves: Vibrations that travel outward form the Earthquake fault. Aftershock: An Earthquake that is similar or lesser intensity. Earthquake: A sudden movement or slip of the plates. Epicenter: The place on the Earth’s surface that is directly obove where the fault is. Fault: A fracture across where displacement was. Magnitude: The amount of energy released during an Earthquake.

Other Facts Earthquakes are more common than most of us realize Earthquakes can be really dangerous. Extreme earthquakes can kill many people and destroy property. The largest earthquake in the world was in Chile, in 1960 at 9.5 on the Richter scale The largest earthquake in the USA was in Alaska, in 1964 at 9.2 on the Richter scale The largest earthquake since 1990 was in Japan on March 11, 2011 at 9.0

Earthquake Video Clip The Haiti Earthquake. January 12, 2010 Magnitude 7.0

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