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TheFault lines are the lines that mark a boundary between two tectonic plates of the Earth's crust. Earthquakes usually take place along these fault lines, as two plates move in different directions and built-up pressure is released as the plates slip suddenly.
Why do tectonic plates move like that? Well, the plates are part of the Earth's crust, which sits on top of the Earth's mantle which is semi-molten. Since the mantle is not as hard as the crust, the crust "floats" so to speak, or slips/slides.
One fault line well known to North Americans is the San Andreas fault, which runs up the westcoast of the USA and was the location of the San Francisco earthquake.
The devastating earthquake that hit off the northern coast of Japan, an 8.9 on the Richter Scale, followed by a huge tsunami, was 1000 times stronger than the recent New Zealand earthquake. It was the strongest ever to hit Japan and one of the strongest since scientists have begun to measure the power of earthquakes.
To compare, look at this map of the strongest earthquakes recorded since 1900Â and where they hit:
Chile
1960 05 22
9.5
2.
Prince William Sound, Alaska
1964 03 28
9.2> -
3.
Off the West Coast of Northern Sumatra
2004 12 26
9.1 /
4.
Kamchatka
1952 11 04
9.0
5.
Offshore Maule, Chile
2010 02 27
8.8
6.
Off the Coast of Ecuador
1906 01 31
8.8
7.
Rat Islands, Alaska
1965 02 04
8.7
8.
Northern Sumatra, Indonesia
2005 03 28
8.6
9.
Assam - Tibet
1950 08 15
8.6
10.
Andreanof Islands, Alaska
1957 03 09
8.6
11.
Southern Sumatra, Indonesia
2007 09 12
8.5
12.
Banda Sea, Indonesia
1938 02 01
8.5
13.
Kamchatka
1923 02 03
8.5
14.
Chile-Argentina Border
1922 11 11
8.5
15.
Kuril Islands
1963 10 13
8.5
Updated 2010 March 29
Many earthquakes hit the United States every year; fortunately, in recent years, we have not been hit by a major event. However, there are a number of major fault lines that could trigger a major earthquake at any time.Â
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posted on Mar 13, 2011 11:34 AM ()
This may be the death knell for nuclear power.
Earth science 101, but most students sleep through informative lessons. I used to have a big wall map where we "tacked" (by colors) earthquakes, volcanoes, etc., all year. By the end of the year, one could see a pattern.
One thing, as far as I can make out, is that Florida is protected from earthquakes and tsunamis--hurricanes are another story.
Sorry you can't see my whole comment. Not sure why it was cut off. Hope you can understand it....
It is beyond me why nuclear power plants were built on the major "Ring of Fire" faults. Nuclear power is Japan's major/primary source of energy and the earthquake-prone country currently has 55 operating nuclear power plants. They have developed amazing earthquake safety engineering expertise, but this quake was way beyond what was planned for. California is in for a big one or some big ones, too — the three faults in the U.S. West Coast are "locked and loaded," geologic seismologists say. And of course the Republicans plan to cut funding for the U.S. Geological Survey.
Sorry about the blank area! I have no idea what caused it??????????????Blame it on the software!
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Updated 2010 March 29
Many earthquakes hit the United States every year; fortunately, in recent years, we have not been hit by a major event. However, there are a number of major fault lines that could trigger a major earthquake at any time.Â
 posted on Mar 13, 2011 11:34 AM ()
This may be the death knell for nuclear power.
Earth science 101, but most students sleep through informative lessons. I used to have a big wall map where we "tacked" (by colors) earthquakes, volcanoes, etc., all year. By the end of the year, one could see a pattern.
One thing, as far as I can make out, is that Florida is protected from earthquakes and tsunamis--hurricanes are another story.
Sorry you can't see my whole comment. Not sure why it was cut off. Hope you can understand it....
It is beyond me why nuclear power plants were built on the major "Ring of Fire" faults. Nuclear power is Japan's major/primary source of energy and the earthquake-prone country currently has 55 operating nuclear power plants. They have developed amazing earthquake safety engineering expertise, but this quake was way beyond what was planned for. California is in for a big one or some big ones, too — the three faults in the U.S. West Coast are "locked and loaded," geologic seismologists say. And of course the Republicans plan to cut funding for the U.S. Geological Survey.
Sorry about the blank area! I have no idea what caused it??????????????Blame it on the software!
1,242 articles found [ Previous Article ] [ Next Article ] [ First ] [ Last ]