2006-07-22 20:09:12 · 4 answers · asked by Pamela 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
The whole earth is not moving. Plates in the earth in a certain location are shifting.
2006-07-22 20:12:33 · answer #1 · answered by angelikness 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No.
Earthquakes are much more local, and don't shake the entire planet along its axis.
Quakes are caused when stress in the earth's crust is suddenly released. This stress is along 'fault zones' where two areas overlap or join. Think of it as stretching a rubber band, then releasing it... it will snap forward and then back, oscillating until it stabilizs in an unstressed state. The impact or movement creates a shockwave that travels through the ground, and this shockwave is what we know of as an earthquake. As it travels, it fades in intensity. If it hits different kinds of rock, it may be deflected, slowed down, or otherwise changed.
Soft ground, especially sand or landfill, is very susceptible to earthquake 'movement'. It has a tendency to 'liquify', and thus causes widespread damage if the quake is strong enough. The Marina District in San Francisco suffered considerable damage during the 1989 Loma Prieta quake, because it was built primarily on landfill.
Quakes can feel like a hard jolt, a slow rocking movement, or a fast rattle. It all depends on how deep the fault was, where it was in relation to where you are, what terrain is in between, what terrain you're on, and what kind of motion (up or down or side-to-side) the fault 'released'.
2006-07-22 20:25:35 · answer #2 · answered by dcnblues 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no, because when an earthquake occurs shakening is their because of vibrations caused by collisions between tectonic plates.
2006-07-22 20:14:59 · answer #3 · answered by brahminboys_123 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, you're feeling the residual waves of tectonic plates where they have either converged or diverged.
2006-07-22 20:13:19 · answer #4 · answered by dph_40 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋