You're going about your normal daily routine when suddenly, something is not quite right. It may be frighteningly obvious, like watching your shelves emptied by a sudden and violent shaking that stops just as mysteriously as it began. It may be very subtle, perhaps just a slight queasy feeling and the gentle swaying of a hanging lamp. If you're in a wide open space and in a good mood, it can even be fun -- a free roller coaster ride that lasts a few seconds. Whatever the case, experiencing an earthquake tends to leave a lasting impression.
If you've lived in southern California for more than a year or two, it's likely you've had an experience similar to one of those mentioned above. Maybe you've even had several. Certainly you've heard the news reports. Reporters talk at length about faults and aftershocks and magnitudes, and we grow accustomed to hearing these words, and even using them in conversation. But despite the ability of earthquakes to strike awe in all of us -- amazed and a little fearful as we are of their power and unpredictable nature -- many people never really come to understand the concepts behind them.
Before you launch into this module, which is designed to help you understand what earthquakes are all about, here's a chance to test your knowledge of earthquakes in a fun way. In the activity below, you will take on the role of emergency response and, armed only with your knowledge of seismology, stage a rescue in Pinevale!
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Save the fictional village of Pinevale from earthquake-triggered
mudslides while you test your knowledge of seismology! |
How well did you do in your quest to save the village of Pinevale? You may have discovered that there's a lot about earthquakes, faults, and the field of seismology that you didn't know, despite what can seem, to those who live in southern California, like a constant stream of reminders about the shaky ground upon which we live. Let's move on, now, and begin to answer a few basic questions about earthquakes.
Rescue in Pinevale