BobRingReflections

The February 6, 2023 major earthquake in southern Turkey and northwestern Syria, with its horrible destruction and loss of life, reminded me that I don’t know much about earthquakes - how, why, and where they happen.  So, researching this article will give me a chance to learn about the subject. After a short introduction, I will cover historical views of earthquakes, the science of earthquakes, earthquake magnitude and intensity, measuring and locating earthquakes, the damage from earthquakes, major earthquakes in the past, predicting and forecasting earthquakes, and a word about preparedness for earthquakes.  I will close with a short update on the recent Turkey-Syria earthquake. My principal sources include “Earthquake,” “List of historical earthquakes,” and “Richter magnitude scale,” Wikipedia.com; “The Science of Earthquakes” and “Earthquake Magnitude, Energy Release, and Shaking Intensity,” usgs.gov; “Highest Magnitude & Biggest Earthquakes,” sma-tsunami-warning.com; “Pla