Earthquakes Happen Every Day
An introduction to the commonality of earthquakes
You might not think too much of earthquakes until you have to perform drills in school, and even those we often see as a waste of time: "It's never affected me, so why should I care?" If you are able to say that, it's likely you don't live on top of one of Earth's many earthquake hotspots. But if you live in California or Hawai'i, the story is quite different.
What are they?
This video from National Geographic can provide a basic understanding of earthquakes as well as the sheer magnitude of inevitable destruction they can cause.
What can they do?
This image illustrates one of the history's most devastating and well-known natural disasters: The The Great 1906 Earthquake in San Francisco, California. Even the most developed, populated regions of the world can be subject to sudden and absolute destruction in the face of a quake.
Where do they happen?
This heat map illustrates USGS data about recorded earthquakes around the US in the last 30 days. Darker areas represent lower magnitudes while brighter areas represent high magnitudes.
If you feel like you've never had to worry about earthquakes, you probably live in a blue area or an area where there are no special colors.
Click the following link to a web app that will allow more freedom of exploration, incorporating the use of helpful pop-ups, charts, and statistics to provide a better understanding of national quake patterns.
