海角大神

Details from the聽devastating magnitude-8.2 earthquake in Chile聽 are arriving on the heels of two,聽recent Los Angeles-area temblors聽and one March 10 off the聽northern California coast. The cluster has some casual quake-watchers a bit more jittery than usual.

As the news聽fills the airwaves and Internet, the public is naturally asking if the quakes are related and whether they are聽signs of some bigger global disasters looming, say geologists who are fielding such inquiries from the press and the public alike.

Getting聽a clearer picture of the science behind earthquakes can be hard in a 24/7 news cycle focused on human drama,聽they say. But understanding the science behind the global seismic activity is an important first step in calming fears and getting residents to take steps to聽prevent loss.

鈥淚 just got off the phone with the local radio station and these are the questions they all want to know,鈥澛爏ays Frank Galgano,聽chair of the geography and environment department at Villanova University in Philadelphia.

The bottom line? While the recent earthquake activity in northern and nouthern California is related somewhat, the聽quake in Chile occurring at roughly the聽same time is a geological coincidence.

鈥淭hose are completely聽separate plates with separate tectonic activity down there in Chile,鈥� says Professor Galgano. 鈥淭he Pacific plate and the North American plate driving the California faults in Hayward and San Andreas will create aftershocks all along the West Coast of the US, but not several thousand miles away in Chile.

鈥淚t is the 24-hour news cycle that makes these larger events happening together seem more threatening,鈥� he says.

That same media attention, however, can help聽spread awareness of the growing science of loss and damage prevention, says聽geologist Chris Wills at the California Geological Survey (CGS) in Sacramento.

鈥淚 actually think it鈥檚 more important聽for people to understand the various ways that quakes can hurt you than for them to grasp the somewhat abstract science behind what causes the quakes,鈥� he says. His聽agency, for instance,聽is responsible for communicating聽about safety products that can be used by geologists and nonprofessionals alike.

In support of National Tsunami Preparedness Week, March 23-29, for instance, the CGS provided preparedness kits and tsunami maps for local schools and science programs.

鈥淓arthquakes are singular events because there is virtually no warning,鈥� he says, so it makes a difference knowing what to do for instance, when one strikes. 鈥淜nowing where you should go聽鈥� in聽your community can make the difference between being safe and suffering serious loss,鈥� he adds.

Beyond that, says Mr. Wills, a lot of聽work has gone into understanding what makes buildings more or less聽vulnerable in earthquakes. 鈥淚 would feel a lot better if people knew more about how to make themselves safe in a quake than if they聽understood what was causing that quake,鈥� he adds.

Nonetheless, points out Villanova鈥檚 Galgano, it helps to understand that earthquakes are not rare events. Seismic聽activities are occurring continually around the globe, he points out.

In the week between聽March 14 and March 20, for instance, according to the US Geological Survey, there were 1,543 recorded tremors, including those of all magnitudes in the United States and its territories and elsewhere.

Most are small enough not to attract attention, he adds.聽鈥淏ut earthquakes are a normal part of this planet鈥檚 activity,鈥� he says, and understanding that scientific聽fact is as important as following the news coverage of any particular event.