Here are the top 10 Interesting Earthquake Facts you should know:
10. Oil and Gas Extraction:
picture source: www.occupy.com
Oil and Gas Extraction can caused Minor Earthquakes. When oil comes out of the ground during the drilling process, it isn’t alone. The oil has to be separated from large volumes of what is called “produced water,” i.e. water produced as a byproduct of drilling. It is generally dirty and ill-suited for drinking or irrigation, so the typical industry practice is to dispose of it deep underground, where it has been known to cause quakes in the world.
9. Magnitude:
picture: allanawheeler.wordpress.com
Scientists consider 3-5 magnitude of Earthquake as minor Earthquake, 5-7 magnitude of Earthquake as moderate Earthquake and 8 or above magnitude as major Earthquake. So far there are many minor Earthquakes, Major Earthquake ever recorded was 9.5 in the year 1960 in Chile.
8. Earthquakes and Faults:
picture: earthquake.usgs.gov
An earthquake is what happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another. The surface where they slip is called the fault or fault plane. Quakes on one side of Earth can shake the other side. Seismologists studying the massive 2004 earthquake that triggered killer tsunamis throughout the Indian Ocean found that the quake had weakened at least a portion of California's famed San Andreas Fault. The Chilean quake of 1960 shook the entire Earth for many days, a phenomenon called oscillation that was measured by seismic stations around the planet.
picture source: www.operationworld.org
7. Bizarre Recorded Earthquake:
picture source: hypocentral.com
The longest Earthquake that has ever recorded lasted upto 500-600 senconds which is 10 minutes was in the year 2004 in the Indian Ocean which shortened the day by 6.8 microseconds which killed 230,000+ people.
The worst Earthquake recorded was 1201 A.D in Syria which killed 1.1 million lives.
The Largest Earthquake recorded was 9.5 Magnitude in Valdivia, Chile in the year 1960.
6. Alaska:
picture source: en.wikipedia.org
Alaska is the most Earthquake prone state in the world. The Great Alaskan Earthquake was in the year 1964 with the magnitude of 9.2, lasting nearly three minutes, it was the most powerful recorded earthquake in U.S. and North American history, and the second most powerful ever measured by seismograph.
5. Chile:
Chile has seen the most powerful Earthquake ever recorded with the Magnitde of 9.5 and 33km depth in the year 1960 in Valdivia, Chile. The earthquake was a megathrust earthquake resulting from the release of mechanical stress between the subducting Nazca Plate and the South American Plate, on the Peru-Chile Trench.
4. Continental Drift:
picture source: science1.nasa.gov
The tectonic plates inches each year on the Earth by widening the Atlantic Ocean , shrinking Pacific Ocean and Mediterranean Sea will be closed. Million years after all the plates will come closer to form the new continent Pangae Ultima.
3. Japan:
picture source: www.theatlantic.com
Japan is one of the Earthquake prone areas in the world. Most of the Earthquakes in Japan are weak. The strongest Earthquake recorded in Japan is in the year 2011 with the magnitude 9.0 which not only moved the Island near U.S and shifted the axis by 6.5 inches. The Earthquake made Earth spin faster shortening the day by 1.6 microseconds.
2. Pacific Ring of Fire:
picture source: www.universetoday.com
Most of the Earthquakes occur near the Pacific Ring of fire. In a 40,000 km (25,000 mi) horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements.It has 452 volcanoes and is home to over 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes. It is sometimes called the circum-Pacific belt or the circum-Pacific seismic belt.
1. San Andreas Fault:
picture source: geology.com
The San Andreas fault is moving two inches per year about the same rate of the growth of fingernails. At this rate, San Francisco and Los Angeles will be next to each other in few million years.
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