4 myths about earthquakes

Seismic waves

The earthquakes They are phenomena, normally natural, that have been taking place on Earth since practically its inception. Most of them are hardly perceived, but of the few that are detected, there are several that can be very dangerous; not because of the tremors themselves, but because of the possible collapse of the buildings, or because of the tsunami they can cause.

Humanity has long tried to understand them in order to predict them. As we continue down that road, various myths about earthquakes have been brewing. We tell you 4 of the most curious.

There are people who can »predict» earthquakes

This is one of the myths that are true. There are people who have sensitivity to earthquakes, which is a phenomenon that science has not yet been able to explain but that leads people to feel dizzy, anxious, and / or with a headache seconds before an earthquake occurs because human beings can feel the waves that come from an epicenter, especially when we sleep.

The earth swallows you during an earthquake

Science fiction movies are often simply science fiction movies that surpass reality. And is that it is impossible for an earthquake to swallow you, since the openings they leave are not as deep as it is believed, since the faults are horizontal and not vertical.

Two earthquakes can be related

It is often thought that two earthquakes are related when they occur over long distances and in a very short period of time. But are they really related? The answer is… No.. Sometimes what can happen is that an earthquake of a great magnitude that occurs in a certain place, "causes" minor and very short tremors at a distance of thousands of kilometers, but this is not the usual thing.

Mega earthquakes are possible

But very unlikely. The magnitude of an earthquake is proportional to the length of the fault that causes it. For example, the San Andrés fault, being 800km long, cannot cause an earthquake of magnitude 10,5. To date, the worst earthquake ever recorded occurred in Valdivia (Chile) on May 22, 1960, with a magnitude of 9,5.

Earthquake in chile

Do you know any other myths about earthquakes?


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