earthquakes are movements of rocks on earth crust. the rapid releas of energy creates seismic waves that travel through the earth. one of the worlds most famous fault lines is the San Andreas fault in Californai, in the USA. this fault line has already been the cause of many enormous earthquakes. shelter box are a charity based in cornwallwho sent help out familes that have been affeced by earthquakes. a earthquakes is recorded by a seiammograph and is measured on the richter scale (named after one of the inventors.)

earthquakes

The 2004 earthquake that occurred in the Indian Ocean near Sumatra, Indonesia triggered a series of tsunamis that killed over 200000 people in 14 countries.

The February 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand followed nearly 6 months after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook the region. The earthquake killed 181 people and significantly damaged the central city. The economic damage caused by the earthquake and aftershocks is estimated to be around $15 billion (NZ$)

The most powerful earthquake ever recorded on earth was in Valdivia , Chile Occurring in 1960, it had a magnitude of 9.5

It is important in earthquake prone countries such as Japan to build houses and buildings that react well to earthquakes. Good engineering practises can help stop buildings collapsing under the stress of large earthquakes.