Earthquake Basics
Cause of Earthquakes:
An Indian legend has it that the earth is supported on its head by a shesha nag ( a mighty snake , a devotee of Vishnu) and whenever he changes his position, earthquakes occur. The other variation is that hiranyaksha (a demon), had kept Mother Earth in captivity under the sea. Varaha avatar (Vishnu) killed the demon, rescued the earth and has been supporting it on its horns ever since. During his balancing act, a shift this way or that causes earthquakes.
Inhabitants of quake-prone Kamachatka peninsula, Siberia, believe that shocks are due to a giant dog named Kosei. The tremors occur when he tosses the snow off his furs. Ancient Japanese ascribe the happening to movements of a giant spider which carries the earth on its back. Even the great Greek philosopher-mathematician Pythagoras thought that earthquakes were caused by the dead fighting amongst themselves; but another Greek philosopher, Aristotle, was nearer to modern ideas: he said hot air masses escaping from the interior of the earth caused earthquakes. Some not so primitive people considered earthquakes as an act of god.
The cause of earthquakes has been the subject of much speculation over the centuries, geologists now agree that earthquakes can be divided into two categories:
1. Tectonic earthquakes are those associated with faulting or other structural processes.
2. Volcanic earthquakes are those associated with volcanic eruptions.
The major portion of observed seismic activity is Tectonic in origin.
Download and Read about earthquakes
Origin of Earth and More on Continental Plates
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