Earthquakes

On a bright sunny day, without warning, the ground begins to shake! If this happens to you, you may be in the middle of an earthquake!

Why do earthquakes occur? Under the earth's surface, there are various activities which build up over time. These activities eventually result in releasing energy, which causes the outer layer of the earth to erupt along faults! Faults are basically fractures along the earths crust. Seismic activity results in the destruction associated with an earthquake. Earthquakes can even stem from other sources such as volcanic activity!

Did you know that earthquakes occur everyday? Most of them occur near the Pacific plate and the North American plate around the Ring of Fire. They can instigate Tsunamis and landslides!

Scientists have been working hard to track earthquakes. They use seismometers to detect the magnitude of the earthquake and rank them on a scale of intensity.  However, earthquakes are not as easily predicted as weather.

Researching and tracking earthquakes involve knowledge of science and technology! For example, building robots to rescue people and tracking earthquake activity utilizes a lot of STEM knowledge! Navigating this website is a great start! Exploring earthquakes may even lead to rewarding career opportunities!

Learn about earthquakes through all the fascinating information on this site. Next time you feel the ground shake, you will understand more about what is going on underneath your feet!