What we feel as earthquakes are created by sudden shifts in the alignment of rocks. This occurs most often at the margins of tectonic plates - the plates of Earth’s crust that Earth’s surface is fractured into. These blocks of rock naturally move on the semi-molten mantle below. Along the edges, pressure builds as unyielding rocks pushes against unyielding rock until suddenly, there is slippage and the plates move creating an earthquake.
Japanese M8.9 Earthquake & Tsunami – 11 March 2011
BBC News | Globe & Mail |USGS | NOAA Tsunami Event
Christchurch, NZ M6.3 Earthquake – 22 February 2011
BBC News: A B C D E | USGS | Wikipedia
Ontario-Quebec Border M5.0 – 23 June 2010
Canterbury, NZ M7.0 – 3 September 2010
Chile M8.8 – 27 February 2010
Haiti M7.0 – 12 January 2010
BBC News | CBC News | NYTimes | USGS
South and East Asian M9.0 Earthquake and Tsunami - 26 December 2004
BBC News | CBC News | NY Times | USGS | GlobalIssues.org
Earthquakes and their aftermath are truly devastating to the communities who experience them. It’s not just the structural damage and resulting fires, but also disease due to a lack of sanitation and clean water as well as homelessness. A number of aid organizations work specifically on Disaster Relief including:
For more information see Aid Agencies >
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