EARTHQUAKES

What causes these devastating natural hazards and what are we doing to predict and prepare for them?

Earthquakes are one of our planet’s most destructive natural hazards, with the ability to flatten entire cities, trigger enormous tsunamis that wash away everything in their path, and cause a devastating loss of life. Part of an earthquake’s immense power lies in its unpredictability, as a huge quake can strike with very little warning, giving those nearby no time to get to safety. Though we don’t know when they will occur, we can predict where, thanks to our knowledge of plate tectonics. The thin top layer of the Earth, known as the crust, is divided into several plates that are constantly moving. This is caused by heat from the core of the Earth creating convection currents in the mantle just below the crust, which shifts the plates in different directions. As the plates…

You're reading a preview of

How It Works Book of Incredible Earth (Digital) - 1 Issue, How It Works Book Of Incredible Earth 6th Edition

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.