Natural Calamities - Earthquake

The Kobe Japan Earthquake

The 8.8 Chile Earthquake

According to experts, an earthquake occur when the tectonic plates of the earth release stress.Now this would result to a sudden release of pressure that ultimately ends in the vibration of the earth's surface that we call as earthquake. An earthquake would often result to damaged properties and even loss of lives,depending on the intensity of the earthquake as measured on the Richter scale, the equipment used to monitor and measure the intensity and magnitude of an earthquake.

In fact,earthquakes happens everyday by the thousands around the world.These quakes are unnoticeable since they are so small an ordinary person won't even feel it.  If you have seen the graphs on a Richter scale you would notice so many very small up and down graphs along the scale that would represent minute quakes that happens daily but which we cannot feel.  

It is said that around 90 percent of the earth's earthquake happen on the earth's surface now called as the "Ring of Fire" mainly due to the prevalence of more than average volcanic activity there compared to other parts of the earth's surface.

The yellow color indicate countries within the "Ring of Fire" 

Scientists assign a magnitude rating to earthquakes based on the strength and duration of their seismic waves. A quake measuring 3 to 5 is considered minor or light; 5 to 7 is moderate to strong; 7 to 8 is major; and 8 or more is great.

On average, a magnitude 8 quake strikes somewhere every year and some 10,000 people die in earthquakes annually. Collapsing buildings claim by far the majority of lives, but the destruction is often compounded by mud slides, fires, floods, or tsunamis. Smaller temblors that usually occur in the days following a large earthquake can complicate rescue efforts and cause further death and destruction.

Loss of life can be avoided through emergency planning, education, and the construction of buildings that sway rather than break under the stress of an earthquake. Earthquakes like those that happened in Chile, Japan and other parts of the world are signs that we should be ready for any eventuality that might be brought about by a strong earthquake or any natural disasters like floods, tornadoes or hurricanes. Others would say that Planet Earth is getting old and as such, natural calamities are bound to happen.