We never know. We never know when earthquakes will come or where or how strong they will be.
We always need to be prepared. Here is some information to help.
1. What is an Earthquake?
When plates push together, they make mountains and volcanos that explode - like the mountains in California and Japan. The Pacific is a called a "Ring of Fire" because of these plates pushing in a ring, making earthquakes and volcanos.
When the plates pull apart, they make another kind of volcano. A kind of slow, leaky volcano. This is happening in Hawaii. Lava leaks out and the islands grow and get bigger very slowly.
In the Bay Area, one plate - the North American plate - is moving South. The plate next to it, the Pacific plate, is moving North. Look at the map. Where is the San Mateo Adult School? Where is San Francisco? Where is the Crystal Springs Water Reservoir? Where is Half Moon Bay? Are all they on the same plate?
Sometimes the two plates suddenly push hard against each other. Earthquake! The push can be deep in the earth, close to the surface, short, or long.
In the big plates are many cracks or pushing areas. We call these places, "faults." Earthquakes can happen on these fault lines.
Earthquakes can be big or small.
And the soil where they happen can be soft or hard.
There are many kinds of soil in the Bay Area. Hard rock. Soft sand. And fill. In some places, they filled in the Bay with trash and dirt. They call this "fill." Then they built houses on it. They did this in some parts of Foster City, for example.
It is important to know about the soil where you live, work, shop, and go to school.
You can look at this map to find out about the soil - rock, sand, fill, etc..
And you can check schools and earthquake safety here.
We don't know when an earthquake will happen or where. We don't know where we will be. So we need to be prepared.
2. Earthquake Preparation
You need more than a flashlight and batteries to prepare for an earthquake.
Remember, you do not know where you will be when a quake happens.
You might be in a car. You might be on a bus. Or a bicycle. You might be sleeping at home. You might be at work. You might be shopping in a busy mall. You might be on BART. You might be a friend's house. You might have water and batteries and a flashlight at your house... but you are at your friend's house and they do not have these things. And they might not know where to turn the gas off at their house. You might be in one place and your kids in another place.
Here are some suggestions to help you prepare for an earthquake.
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3. Know the danger spots where you're at risk from falling or breaking material: near windows, mirrors, hanging objects, tall furniture and fireplace chimneys
4. Hold safety drills so you and your family know the safe – and danger – spots in your home
5. Discuss how and where your family will meet if separated during an earthquake
6. Pick an out-of-state friend or relative who family members can call after the quake to report their whereabouts and conditions. Make sure everyone keeps the designee's contact information
7. Learn first aid and CPR
8. Learn how to shut off gas, electricity and water mains in case the lines are damaged; keep needed tools near the utilities. Only turn off the gas if you smell or hear leaking gas, and once it's turned off, do not try to turn it back on yourself
9. Have a professional check that chimneys, roofs, walls and foundations are seismically sound. Make sure your home is bolted to the foundation
10. Secure your water heater and major appliances as well as tall furniture such as bookcases and entertainment centers. Also secure mirrors and picture frames, especially those hanging over beds.
You can get lots of good information about to do these things here and here.
Puede leer en espanol aqui.
Be safe! Be prepared! Be ready to help others!
These are all photos from the 1989 Loma Prieta Quake:
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