Will an earthquake knock my house down?
544138
There are many factors that would determine whether your house would be knocked down by an earthquake or not.\n\nThe most obvious would be the size of the earthquake and your distance from the epicenter. The amount of destruction tends to drop off rapidly with distance from the epicenter.\n\nThe next factor would be what your house is made of.  Wood frame structures tend to stand earthquake stress more readily than a masonry (brick or concrete) building would because the joints between the wood can flex and return to their original form whereas bricks will break apart.  The age of the structure and any earthquake retrofitting will also be a factor.  In homes, one of the most common retrofits is to bolt the house to the concrete foundation so it won't slide off during a quake.\n\nThe third factor is the ground under your house.  There are certain soil types that can magnify the force of the earthquake.  An example of this is the Marina District in San Francisco.  It is largely built on top of debris from the 1906 quake.  During the Loma Prieta quake, the relatively loose rubble vibrated and shifted causing extensive damage to the buildings atop it.
550169
*\nYes! The Hoosier state has trembled in the wake of earth waves generated by powerful earthquakes in the past, and will, no doubt, tremble again in quakes that are yet to come. These pages briefly describe earthquakes in our past, what causes our earthquakes, what is being done to reduce losses that will result from future quakes, and what you should do before, during, and after an earthquake.\n\n\nEarthquakes in Indiana  [New Window] \nArticle about the history and future of earthquakes in Indiana.\nVerified by a Netscape Security Partner: Netscape Security Center http://igs.indiana.edu/geology/earthquakes/eqinindiana/index.cfm
1025615
Actually...you will lose your house. Dont worry...they will get to you eventually.
881749
Earthquake any day!  I used to live in California - they are not so bad but Tornados scare the bejesus out me!
314554
The storm surge can be as much as 20 feet a house 8 feet above sea level wouldn't do too well it those conditions.  But FEMA probably has their reasons.  Check their website or contact their rep for reasons why you need to raise your house other than the knee jerk reasons of lots of water and high winds washing over your houses.
1150175
Earthquakes.. never know when they are going to hit nor how strong.  I have lived through them all and at least with the other 3 I have some warning....
57504
Earthquakes happen when two tectonic plates grind, scrape, push, or shove up against each other. The harder the collision, the bigger the earthquake. But, if you live in the middle of a tectonic plate, nothing will grind, scrape, push, or shove there so there will be no earthquakes there.
853741
Yes. \n\nThe earthquake starts when the two massive land masses on each side of the fault line break loose, as the Masses are trying to move and build up tremendous pressure in the fault (The actual crack between land Masses) builds and finally releases when the land Masses suddenly jolt apart causing an oscillation  resulting in an earthquake. \n\nGood question, \n\nDarryl S.
203356
I've felt 4 earthquakes in my lifetime but all were less than intensity 4.  Three of those occasions, I was living in a high-rise and I really thought that I just felt dizzy or had vertigo.  It's really not too big a deal here in the Philippines because we get all kinds of natural phenomenon all the time, earthquakes included.  The other one though was pretty strong and strangely enough, my first thought was to put on nice undies because i didn't want the rescuers to find me through the rubble with granny panties. Ha ha ha.  Good thing it didn't get stronger. (the earthquake, I mean)
467514
Good question.  I hope you have earthquake insurance because regular insurance don't cover acts of war and natural disasters.  \n\nYou have to keep paying your mortgage.\n\nRead your policy.  \n\nInsurance lists on your policy/ or declaration page a mortgagee clause.  That is the place that holds a lien on your property.  Your insurance will pay it off providing you have enough insurance to cover your mortgage.\n\nThis is why the people in New Orleans are screwed.  Most of them didn't have flood insurance and they are claiming that the hurricane didn't damage homes it was the flooding when the levees broke.
88247
yes, usually but sometimes they are so small they can't be felt.  If you go the usgs.gov website it will give you all the earthquakes which occur on a daily basis.  Most earthquakes that occur can't be felt on the surface.
71899
Cool and important to know!\n\nWeak soils just means earth which can't support much of a load. In some cases it is because the soil is not hard-packed. Or sometimes it is what the soil, is made from, sand, loam, peat, mud, clay, gravel, or just too much water.\n\nWhen a certain type of quake hits a weak soil, it can cause it to sort of liquefy like quick-sand. Landslides can happen on a sloping area. And anything built on it is badly damaged or partially sinks. Hey it's like building a card house on a water bed and then sitting on the edge  of the bed. Kablam! No more card house.\n\nCheck out the Google links below to see the devastation of weak soil liquefaction.
898102
There are several factors decides the amount of destruction during earthquakes. The safest place is only the open ground. Important factors are magnitude, frequency of earthquakes, and natural frequency of buildings, geographical condition, and the distance from the source of earthquakes. Some times tall building withstands the quakes and short buildings are damaged. If the frequency of earthquakes matches with the natural frequency of the building the damages will be more. You can construct the building of short height using the technology adopted for self alignment bearings. That will just osculate. No damages will be there for any quakes. Please visit my slide show in the following URL. \nhttp://asia.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/quake
332584
It's probably a coincidence.  If you were where the earthquake happened, I would say you are one of the rare people who are sensitive to the subsonic waves that often precede and earthquake.\n\nI mean look at this map: http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/index.html .  In the past week there were 285 earthquakes in California and Nevada.  Any day you had some pain you could have found an earthquake, possibly happening within minutes.\n\nBut it is possible to feel things in the bones, especially changes in the weather.  In the joints, there is something called sinovial fluid, and it has small bubbles of nitrogen.  Changes in atmospheric pressure can cause pain, especially in arthritic joints.
296970
Put it in your will, and then have someone wrap you in gauze and knock your house down over you.  Tell them to make it fall in a pyramidal shape, and you're good to go.
408202
According to the USGS, not really. In fact, such an attempt could actually have the opposite effect. The types of forces involved in an earthquake are enormous, and significantly beyond the strength of modern human-made structures. Even if we had the technology to stop earthquakes, it would be impossible for us to predict where the next big one would be. The best we can do is to be able to prepare better in the case of an earthquake, and to build structures that are able to withstand large earthquakes. \n\nThe link below will give you further information. It's pretty good.
1003093
Earthquakes= not bad for me, because I don't live in a danger zone.\nFloods= don't scare me, I can swim strongly and pack up all my valuable possesions (pats DS Lite lovingly) in about two minutes.\nWildfires= again, not in the danger zone.\nSo that leaves tornados, because they strike so quickly and you never know how bad they will be. Where I live, from about last week till the end of September, everyday merrits a "tornado watch" (or is it warning? Which ever one is worse). They can take out whole sections of a town in seconds and you can't be prepared for them. Luckily, I have a deep basement so when they come, I just go down in the nasty, windowless hole and wait 'em out.