An earthquake happens when two plates rub together. The earth plates travel in different directions and at different speeds. In other words, earthquakes are the shaking of the earth' s surface caused by the earth' s rocky outer layer. The energy stored within is suddenly released.
The damage an earthquake causes depends on where it is and when it is happening. If an unpopulated region is struck, there will be low loss of life or property. Many of the areas at risk are largely populated now. Major earthquakes hitting those areas today could produce terrible damage.
Fortunately, however, most of them are unnoticed to the public because of the small Richter scale (震级). But large earthquakes such as the 1964 Alaskan quake that measured 9. 2 on the Richter scale, can cause millions of dollars in damage.
In 1972, a series of severe earthquakes struck Managua, Nicaragua. Fifteen years later, the city still looked the way it had a week after the earthquake hit, because the city was in such a mess that it didn' t have the money necessary to rebuild it.
The shaking of the earth is sometimes not the greatest disaster. In the 1906 earthquake, it was the fires caused after it that did the majority of the damage. An earthquake can also destroy dams high above a city or valleys, causing floods to sweep away everything in their path.
A. Actually, there are several million small earthquakes every year.
B. It is in the fires and floods that often the greatest damage occurs.
C. Throughout history, there are numerous destructive big earthquakes.
D. If it hits a large city, there may be many injuries and much destruction.
E. So it is of great importance to predict the movements of the earth plates.
F. If one plate is slowly forced under the other, pressure builds up until the plates break apart.
G. The destructive damage of an earthquake can continue for years after the first shake.
