Earthquakes are capable of destroying entire cities, causing landslides, wildfires, tsunamis and even shifting of the North Pole! They are thought to have killed approximately 1.5 million people in the last hundred years alone. So here we bring you the top 10 facts about earthquakes for kids.
Top 10 Facts About Earthquakes For Kids
1. Earthquakes kill approximately 8,000 people each year and have caused an estimated 13 million deaths in the past 4,000 years.
2. A massive 8.8 earthquake in Chile moved the city of Concepción 10 feet to the west on February 27, 2010. This quake also shortened Earth’s day and slightly changed the rotation of the planet.
3. An average earthquake lasts around a minute.
4. In Japan mythology, a giant catfish called Namazu is responsible for earthquakes.
5. Parkfield, California, is known as “The Earthquake Capital of the World” and has a bridge that spans two tectonic plates.
6. Earthquakes are mostly caused by geological faults, but they can also be caused by landslides, nuclear testing, mine tests, and volcanic activity
7. In Hindu mythology, Earth is held in place by eight gigantic elephants, all balanced on the back of turtle, which itself stands on the coils of a snake. If any of these animals shift or move, an earthquake occurs.
8. An earthquake under the ocean can cause a tsunami, which travels outward in all directions up to 600 miles (970 km) per hour, the speed of a jet. When the tsunami reaches the shoreline, it suddenly rolls up to heights of over 100 feet (30 meters) causing massive destruction
9. The world’s worst landslide started by an earthquake occurred in 1920 in the Kansu province in China. The landslide killed about 200,000 people
10. An earthquake on the moon is called a moonquake. Moonquakes are normally weaker than earthquakes.
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Source – BoredBat
