A nature shock is an earthquake
A nature shock, or earthquake, is a shocking movement of the Earth's crust. They take place when a lot of energy is released in the Earth's crust (suddenly). This energy is planted in a wave movement from the centre to the surroundings. The point on the Earth's surface there is perpendicularly on top of it is called the epicenter. Most earthquakes occur at a depth of 30 kilometers, but there are also tremors measured at 700 km depth. Areas around the Pacific Ocean, the Mediterranean, Indonesia, Japan and California are well-known earthquake areas. A quake below sea level may result in a tidal wave or tsunami. Some earthquakes are the result of volcanic activity and come by swelling (or again sagging) of magma.
The strength of an earthquake is expressed in magnitude and intensity: the Richter scale. It assumes that the lightest oscillation has the number 0, and if the oscillation is 10 times heavier, the number 1. People only feel vibrations of 3 or higher. Here a small overview of the strength of these Richter scales:
- Not noticeable
- Not noticeable
- Light Vibration (truck entering the street)
- Moderately (paintings hurling, doors rattling)
- Strong (vases fall, chimneys break)
- Wrecking (big damage, viaducts depositing in)
- Destructive (most buildings have collapsed, rails are bent)
- Catastrophic (cities devastated, rocks tearing)