Earthquakes and the Nisqually Quake

Earthquakes

I am interested in earthquakes mainly because of the one in 2001 that I was alive for. I was only a year old but my parents have told me the story. My mom was helping out at my sister’s school, and I was with her. My sisters were on the bus, assuming the bus driver had somehow tricked them, not concerned at all. My dad was on the road quickly getting to safety. My mother felt the quake and we were in Meridian Park, she knew I would be safe with the ladies from the office and she had to make sure my sisters were ok on the bus. She ran to their bus and found them perfectly relaxed, laughing. They had thought that their bus driver was pulling a trick on them and pretending they were having an earthquake. I don’t remember the quake myself but I remember the infamous story. It makes me wonder why the earth suddenly shook, no warning to my knowledge. I want to know why they are caused and what affect they have on the places and people around them.

 Throughout my research I have come to find out that earthquakes are caused by the rubbing of tectonic plates, which are large chunks of rock, below the surface of the earth. The plates slowly move against each other creating pressure that sometimes results in an earthquake. The plates are humongous. There are 14 major in the world. A catastrophic earthquake occurs one or more times a year in parts of the world that are prone to earthquakes. 

Earthquakes usually affect regions or states. Wherever the tectonic plates rub, is where the earthquake arises, this is why some areas are more likely to have them than others. The closer the plates are to the surface of the earth, the larger the quake. An earthquake can vary quite a bit in magnitude. The tectonic plates are of such great size that earthquakes do not usually affect just one city. Scientists have declared that earthquake prediction, though available, is unreliable. Without scientific study and evidence of an earthquake coming you will not know it is coming until it does. When the earth shakes beneath your feet you know, an earthquake is there.

The Nisqually Quake

The earthquake I have chosen to highlight is the Washington Nisqually Earthquake of 2001. It struck the Puget Sound region on February 28. The earthquake was a magnitude of 6.8. It injured 410 people and caused damage estimated at about 2 to 3.5 billion dollars. It was a devastating blow but it opened the states eyes to the very real idea that an earthquake could happen any time, and we live in a very prone area to the disasters. Perhaps, aside from the damage it caused, one of the reasons it is considered a 'catastrophic' earthquake is because of how it affected the minds of the people. We were lucky that it wasn’t of a higher magnitude or a lot more damage could have been inflicted. For example, the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle was built in the 20’s and most likely would have collapsed if we had a very high magnitude of earthquake. It is now being torn down and replaced with a tunnel, due to recent events that made us aware of the dangers it but the city in.

The damage the earthquake made was drastic. Rocks, earth and trees eroded. Tacoma’s Salmon Beach had debris all over. It shook buildings, scared people everywhere, and the ground actually rolled in Western Washington. The danger of the tectonic plates causing another disaster is still very high. We should all be prepared for another earthquake and study up on how to stay safe in the case of emergency. I believe that the earthquake was predicted but not many people knew it would come. Apparently, geologists and emergency managers had been predicting the earthquake for years before it came. I have read that they were able to warn some of the people in the area and they established neighborhood preparation programs and business plans. I am under the impression from my father, mother and siblings though, that it was a shock to most people. Most were also lucky enough to get to safety during the beginning of the quake. You could almost argue that living in a place like Washington, where such disasters are likely to happen, is almost an earthquake warning on its own.

If we were to have another quake today it would most likely take place in all of Washington State. Earthquakes generally take place in an entire region or coastal zone. There has been talk of an upcoming quake, I just hope we can all take the reasonable precautions and we update everything so we can keep safe.