What causes earthquakes?
The world we live on is built on giant areas called tectonic plates. These plates are buried deep under the ground and are responsible for earthquakes. Earthquakes are caused when two tectonic plates shift together they cause the earth around them to tremor.
How do earthquakes effect people/the environment?
Earthquakes can be devastating to entire countries effecting the economy, killing large amounts of the population, and destroying large cities important to keeping the country’s infrastructure. Besides destroying roads and buildings, earthquakes can also cause tsunamis (large and destructive waves) to ripple out across the ocean and destroy neighboring countries.
How do I prepare for earthquakes?
Earthquakes cannot be fully prevented but, you can be prepared for one. Earthquake kits are easy to make and require low maintenance. To make these kits you require water (bottled and changed out when required), shelter (this could be as small as a blanket to as big as a tent), and food (packaged military food is a great option). Other optional items are medical supplies, entertainment/comfort items (like chocolate or a handheld music device), and many others I’m too lazy to name. Another way people prepare for earthquakes is by building earthquake supports on large buildings like apartments. You can see on the photo below that this building in turkey was not built properly and ended up being destroyed in the quake.
Core competency reflection
I used Critical Thinking to research about earthquakes, what they do, and how to prepare for them.