Earthquakes

Earthquakes: Ohio vs. The World
Natassia Ray
Kaplan University

Unit 4 Assignment: Dangerous and Natural Energy
SC300: Big Ideas in Science: From Methods to Mutation
Erin Stien
5/18/2011

Earthquakes: Ohio vs. The World
Every Wednesday at noon the National Weather Service out of Wilmington Ohio sounds the tornado sirens and a women’s voice is heard through the skies “this is a test of the emergency broadcast system out of Wilmington Ohio, ect”. I have grown up in a small town located outside Columbus, Ohio, and with the sounds of tornado sirens every year since I can remember, I have never seen a tornado or seen the damage of one in my area. Nevertheless, I know what to do in case of a tornado, and could coach others; it is something that is breed into each and every person who grows up here.   Although I know what to do if a tornado were to touch down, how would that help me in the event of an earthquake? I can say without a doubt, that I would have no idea what to do if an earthquake were to occur in my state or if one were to occur when I was traveling. At a young age I was taught that “earthquakes don’t happen in Ohio” of course who was I to question authority; however, there have been several earthquakes in Ohio, none reaching a magnitude 8.0, but an earthquake nonetheless. If earthquakes can occur in Ohio why are we not taught as a society the safety precautions we can take during an earthquake? We hear of most earthquakes happening on the West coast of the United States, but if they can happen here in the Midwest, what actually needs to happen to create an earthquake? Do more earthquakes happen in one part of the United States, or are they localized to a certain part of the world? Is there a way to predict an earthquake in order to give people time to evacuate, like there is with tornado warning systems? My objective is to address these very important questions, not only for myself, but for the well being of other Ohioans, and individuals who might... [continues]

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