U4W2 Earthquakes

Earthquakes

Chapter 1 The Earth Moves Millions of people will never feel an earthquake. Millions of others will. Some quakes are minor. No one feels them. Others are stronger. The house might move a little. Windows might rattle. Dishes and glasses might clatter on kitchen shelves. A hanging lamp might start to sway. People notice something strange is happening. But they may not realize it is an earthquake. They may think a big truck just went by. Or they may think that something hit the house. But some earthquakes are hard to miss. A strong earthquake can shake heavy furniture. The worst earthquakes bring down buildings. A serious earthquake struck San Francisco, California, in 1989.

Every year, serious earthquakes happen all over the world. Big earthquakes are big news. But earthquakes are not new. People felt them in ancient times but could not measure them. They knew much less about earthquakes than we do. Now we can pinpoint a quake's epicenter and measure its intensity. China was hit hard by an earthquake in 2010.

Millions of North Americans experienced an earthquake in the summer of 2011. On August 23rd, an earthquake shook the eastern United States. The center of the earthquake was in Virginia. It was felt as far north as Canada. Earthquakes are less common in the eastern states than in California. But they do happen. And when they do, they are usually felt over a larger area than earthquakes out west. Understanding the Map The star marks the quake's epicenter. The circles show the area affected. People near the epicenter felt it most. The map shows the effects of the 2011 earthquake.

Japan is an island nation. It is in an area prone to earthquakes. There have been many serious earthquakes there in the past. But the earthquake that struck in March 2011 was the most powerful to hit Japan in recorded history. It was also one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded. It moved the main island of Japan by 8 feet(2. 4 meters). It even shifted Earth on its axis! Japan has many earthquakes that change the way the land looks.