What are Earthquakes anyway?
Whoa! Did you feel the ground shake? That was probably an earthquake! What is an earthquake, you ask? Well, an 'earthquake' is what happens when two parts of the earth slip past one another on a surface called the fault plane.
The outermost layer of the earth which is the crust and the mantle is where earthquakes usually begin. The layer is made up of many puzzle-like pieces that we call Tectonic Plates. On the edges of these plates, you can find the plate boundaries, which is made out of many faults, and that is where earthquakes around the world usually occur. Tectonic plates are moving and sometimes, since the edges of the plates are rough, there is a tendency for the edges to get stuck while the rest of the plate is moving. When the plate has moved far enough, this is when earthquakes happen. So why are we talking about earthquakes? Well, for starters, you should know that earthquakes are unpredictable and they can happen anytime. Yes, that's right, scientists still cannot predict when an earthquake will happen, and they probably never will. That is why this website is here to help you prepare and tell you what to do before, during, and after an earthquake! |