Is earthquakes more and more?

Why in the past time, we have many earthquakes? Is earthquake activity increasing? Does that mean a big earthquake will happen?

At present, monitoring stations in the world record 12,000-14,000 earthquakes large and small. Is the number of land battles increasing? Not sure . Experts say that, with the development of the media and the increase in the number of observations, more and more people are recording more earthquakes.

In fact, it seems today, we are increasingly suffering from many earthquakes. Earthquakes with a magnitude of 7 or more are still going on quite continuously. Even as noted, earthquakes are likely to decline in recent years.

There are several reasons for that

- Part of the explanation probably over the past 20 years, every year, we have been able to determine the exact location of many earthquakes.

This is because the number of seismic monitoring stations has increased dramatically across the globe. Besides, the means of information exchange throughout the world is increasingly spacious and convenient.

In 1931, the world had about 350 stations. Currently, the number has increased to more than 4,000 monitoring stations. Data from these stations was transmitted very quickly by telex, computers and satellites. The increase in rapid observation and reception stations allows us to determine the location of many small earthquakes, which many years ago we could not detect.

The earthquakes with a magnitude of 7 Richter or more still occur quite continuously.(Photo: Channel-japan.com)

Currently, the National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) is part of the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program every year. Location of about 12,000 - 14,000 earthquakes. Meaning that every day, 35 earthquakes took place.

At the same time, because of progress in information exchange and increasing interest in natural disasters, the community today is more aware of earthquakes.

After a long period of record (around 1900), USGS scientists recorded 18 major earthquakes each year (7.0 - 7.9 Richter) and a very large earthquake (from 8 Richter and above).

However, take a look at 32 years ago, from 1969 - 2001, as noted by the USGS, between 1992 and 1995 - 1997, the number of earthquakes per year was only equivalent to that of the 1971s. 1971 in turn had 20 and 19 major earthquakes. But in the following years, large earthquakes were only about 18 per year.

- Population is in the high risk area is increasing. While a large number of earthquakes still occur, the density of inhabitants in the earthquake belt is also constantly increasing. In some countries, new constructions along with population growth have very good resistance to seizure, but many other countries do not. Therefore, we now face more casualties from earthquakes of the same intensity.

- Global information communication is getting better and better. For example, about a decade ago, for a news-worthy event like several hundred people killed by an earthquake in Indonesia or East China, the world media would only take a few days or even Only weekly to know.

So when it can be used, that information will be tucked into the pages of the newspaper. At that time, mass internet was not born. For now, we can receive information quickly almost immediately.

- In addition to the average number of large earthquakes that still occur a lot every year, earthquakes tend to occur in clusters. This is predicted by many different statistical models.

That does not mean that earthquakes happen in the same area, which can happen almost simultaneously. But only when there is a cluster of earthquakes happens, especially when they are widely propagated in the press, people pay attention to the relevance. In an unusual time, when there was no earthquake causing great damage, no one seemed to notice.

Earthquake activities that continually increase at the same time do not mean forecasts for a major earthquake. Similarly, inactive status, or lack of predictive signs, does not mean that a major earthquake does not occur. All are only part of the natural transformation states of earthquakes. There is no method for us to know when a major earthquake occurs.

Gathering assessments all small situations, especially in the geothermal field, are very popular. And the pattern of high-intensity earthquakes is often described along with aftershocks. All are normal and to predict earthquake activity.

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According to the Earthquake Alert Program of USGS - United States Geological Survey, Vietnamnet