earthquakes
by zachary
How Earthquakes start
There are three layers of the earth the crust, mantle and core. The crust is made up of pieces called tectonic plates. The mantle is made up of molten rock. The mantle spins around and carries the plates with it and sometimes the plates get stuck together and push on each other. They build up pressure then one day the plates release seismic waves. (shaking of the earth) Then a earthquake starts.
What Happens if you Where in the Earthquakes
If you were in a earthquake the ground would just start shaking . Every thing around you would also start shaking and fall to the ground. Buildings would start swaying and fires might start.
Where do they happen and where did some of worst earthquakes happen
Earthquakes happen all over the world so I can only tell you some of the places where they happen frequently. They happen frequently in the United Sates mostly in Washington, California and Alaska. In fact the second biggest earthquake happened in Alaska, triggering a huge tsunami. Earthquakes also happen in Japan and Chile. The most powerful earthquake happen in Chile. The deadliest earthquake happened in China killing 830,000 people.
Damage Caused by the 1994 Great Alaska Quake
Illustration of how an earthquake startes
crack in ground from earthquake
Ways to Prevent Damage
There are ways to prevent damage. One way is to retrofit your house, this is when you bolt cement walls to the ceiling and use mortar to connect the bricks together. Another way to prevent damage is to turn off the gas line when you are in an earthquake so your house does not catch on fire.
pros living where there are earthquakes
- there are ways to predict earthquakes are going to happen
- there are ways to prevent from people dying
- you can live far away from water so you don't get hit by a tsunami
- tectonic plates move five inches a year
- engineers are making stronger buildings
- scientists are learning more about earthquakes
- you can prevent damage if there is a earthquake
The Cons of living where there are earthquakes
- hard to predict when earthquakes are going to happen
- earthquakes can kill many people
- cost lots of money to rebuild from the damage cause by earthquakes
- earthquakes can cause many other dangers
- 10,000 earthquakes happen each year in California
- There are after shocks after earthquakes