Earthquakes have been around for a longer than humans - and for as long as man has sought to understand the world around him, there have been interesting myths surrounding earthquakes. I thought I would discuss five of the most common earthquake myths.
1. "This is earthquake weather".
I remember my mother talking about earthquake weather when the weather was unusually calm and hot. There is no actual connection between earthquakes and weather either before or after the shake.
2. You should run outside in an earthquake.
If you are in modern country with good building standards this is the worst thing to do - instead you should seek shelter under a doorway or a sturdy piece of furniture.
3. Earthquakes only happen around the Pacific Rim of Fire and a few other regions of the world.
While its true that most earthquakes occur in countries such as Japan, New Zealand, and the western USA, there are actually earthquakes almost everywhere. Australia has had several deaths from earthquakes - primarily because it wasn't well prepared for them.
4. Earthquakes are a sign of the end times.
There are many myths and superstitions around earthquakes. Primitive man had to explain this strange, dangerous shaking of the earth - and it was obviously a supernatural cause! These day's scientists well understand what causes earthquakes - its the dynamic movement of the earth's crustal plates.
5. Animals know that an earthquake is coming.
There are persistent rumours that animals react before humans to an earthquakes. Although its possible that say dogs can hear the noise of the quake at a frequency inaudible to humans - there is yet to be any proof of this myth.
I am a geologist and a New Zealander, so far I have survived several minor earthquakes, but avoided a major shake! It amuses me that many visitors are terrified of earthquakes when the move to an earthquake prone country - but frankly I like my chances of earthquake survival a lot better than surviving a hurricane or bush fire! The key to earthquakes are understanding their nature, understanding how safe or otherwise the building you are in is and undertaking some basic earthquake preparedness if you do live in an earthquake prone region.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lis_Sowerbutts
1. "This is earthquake weather".
I remember my mother talking about earthquake weather when the weather was unusually calm and hot. There is no actual connection between earthquakes and weather either before or after the shake.
2. You should run outside in an earthquake.
If you are in modern country with good building standards this is the worst thing to do - instead you should seek shelter under a doorway or a sturdy piece of furniture.
3. Earthquakes only happen around the Pacific Rim of Fire and a few other regions of the world.
While its true that most earthquakes occur in countries such as Japan, New Zealand, and the western USA, there are actually earthquakes almost everywhere. Australia has had several deaths from earthquakes - primarily because it wasn't well prepared for them.
4. Earthquakes are a sign of the end times.
There are many myths and superstitions around earthquakes. Primitive man had to explain this strange, dangerous shaking of the earth - and it was obviously a supernatural cause! These day's scientists well understand what causes earthquakes - its the dynamic movement of the earth's crustal plates.
5. Animals know that an earthquake is coming.
There are persistent rumours that animals react before humans to an earthquakes. Although its possible that say dogs can hear the noise of the quake at a frequency inaudible to humans - there is yet to be any proof of this myth.
I am a geologist and a New Zealander, so far I have survived several minor earthquakes, but avoided a major shake! It amuses me that many visitors are terrified of earthquakes when the move to an earthquake prone country - but frankly I like my chances of earthquake survival a lot better than surviving a hurricane or bush fire! The key to earthquakes are understanding their nature, understanding how safe or otherwise the building you are in is and undertaking some basic earthquake preparedness if you do live in an earthquake prone region.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lis_Sowerbutts