Short Essay On Earthquakes

343 Words2 Pages
Almost every part of the world has experienced an earthquake in recent years, and almost every part of the world will experience earthquake in the years to come. Since ancient Chinese began to keep records several thousand years ago, more than 13 millions earthquakes have occurred worldwide by some estimates. What causes earthquakes? Throughout time, different cultures have developed myth to explain these violent earth movements. From India comes the story of six strong elephants who hold up the earth on their hands. Whenever one elephant moves its head, the earth trembles. According to Japanese myth, a playful catfish lives in the mud under the earth. Whenever it feels like a playing, it waves its fat tail around in the mud. The result?…show more content…
One of the strongest quakes in the last hundred years happened in Anchorage, Alaska, on March 24, 1964, at about six o’clock in the evening. When earthquake struck that evening, many families were sitting down to eat dinner. People in the city suddenly found themselves in the dark because most of the light in the city went out when the earthquake occurred. Many people died instantly when the tall buildings collapsed and sent tons of bricks and concrete crashing into the streets. When will the next earthquake occur? No one really knows for sure. Interestingly enough, throughout history animals have often helped people predict earthquakes shortly before they happen. At present, some scientist are studying catfish swim excitedly just before and earthquake. According to some studies, snakes, monkeys, and rodents also appear to be sensitive to the approach of violent movement in the earth’s surface. Some animals seem to know a great deal more than humans about when an earthquake will occur. In recent years, scientists have developed many extremely sensitive instruments. Perhaps someday instruments will be able to give us a sufficiently early warning so that we can be waiting calmly in a safe place when the next earthquake
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