DAILY CELESTIAL CHALLENGE

'Thursday - Forces in Nature'

EARTHQUAKE

Nature is a wonderful thing, it is the explicit display of the beauty of the creator. Before i continue, let me appreciate the one initiating this #celestialchallenge, none other than the noble @sirknight, the founder of the #steemchurch. Thanks for your efforts sir. Now back to the topic🙂

The world is governed by natural laws and forces, some of which are favorable, some devastating. Natural forces have no respect for human conditions or circumstances, and when such as an earthquake hits, it is usually devastating (especially when it is in a civilised or residential areas).
Devastating earthquakes usually claim lives and properties, none more devastating than the Haiti earthquake of 2010.

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I was in my house in Nigeria when my friend called me to inform me of the news, I quickly switched on the television. I will never forget the intensity with which my family and I watched with horror as those disturbing images began to come up. I asked myself some questions

• what caused it?
• could it be prevented or predicted?

Well, here are the answers...
Firstly, from definition in Wikipedia, an Earthquake is the shaking of the surface of the earth, resulting from the sudden release of energy in the earths lithosphere that creates seismic waves.
Note, not all earthquakes are deadly. Some of them might just be a slight tremble that may go unnoticed. But others may as well be disastrous.

Now what is the cause?
They are caused by the sudden release of stress in rocks deep beneath the earths surface. This happens mostly at the boarders between tectonic plates.
Some are natural, while some are as a result of man's activity such as mine blasts, nuclear tests etc.

source: China Nuclear test in 1964

Can it be Prevented or Predicted?

We can't prevent a natural earthquake. Not like we can stop the plates from shifting... Lol, we can stop our activities that can lead to it such as the ones mentioned above.
Can it be Predicted? Yes, it can. Technology such as the Richter scale, Mercalli scale, Moment magnitude scale among others are used. Now earth quakes can be predicted so that residents can evacuate the area before it hits.
An example of when it was used in history is in the Haicheng earthquake in 1975. Haicheng had approximately 1million residents at the time. It is known to be one of the few earth quakes in history to be successfully predicted. The prediction didn't stop lives from being lost anyway, but saved a large number.

source: Haicheng earthquake

My Prayer is that the Haitian people and all those who lost their loved ones as a result of the 2010 earthquake and any other natural disaster find peace and joy again. Amen!

I remain @searchengine
Adding Value to steemit through relevant posts.

#celestialchallenge