Windows Rattle People Tattle (by Jacob)

In the past 7 days there have been 28 earthquakes in Indonesia (www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes).  I decided to write about earthquakes because they happen here in Papua, Indonesia where I live.  I have experienced a few little earthquakes in the past 4 years, that have only been around 5-10 seconds long.  They have made windows rattle, doors shake and people tattle.  Tragically earthquakes can be much worse, causing devastating homelessness, despair and even death.
Earthquakes are caused by the tectonic plates pushing against each other.  At first they are stuck and then pressure builds up and the plates tear apart.  This causes violent ground movement otherwise known as an earthquake.  Scientist call this epicenter, where the ground tears apart, the focus point.  In a video I watched a seismologist dug a deep hole and looked at the sides of the dirt wall.  He found charcoal there, from perhaps where there had been a prairie fire in the past.  The scientist saw where the ground had moved by seeing the black charcoal at different heights in the soil.
Subduction zones are where one plate slides under another.  Subduction happens at three type of plate boundaries:  ocean to ocean, ocean to continent; and continent to continent.  Earthquakes are most common in the Pacific Ocean, this is called the Ring of Fire.  I live IN THE EXTREMELY COOL RING OF FIRE.  See the picture of the ring of fire.
IMG_20160309_085425


Most people that die in earthquakes are killed by collapsing building.  They are usually tall buildings.  Seismologist measure earthquakes by a scale called the Richter Scale measuring the magnitude of the earthquake.  Here in Papua I have experienced from 1.0-4.9 on the Richter Scale where definite vibrations were felt, windows and objects rattled, liquid spilled and doors swung.  1.0-3.0 on the Richter Scale are generally not felt by people.  3.0-3.9 are felt by people at rest, also hanging objects may swing.  6.0 and higher can be devastating with walls collapsing, bridges destroyed and much much more.
Out of the top ten earthquakes in our worlds recorded earthquake history:  two of these were in Indonesia.  The third most violent earthquake was in the West coast of Sumatra, Indonesia in 2004.  It rated a 9.1-9.3 on the Richter scale.  The 9th most powerful earthquake was in 2005 in North Sumatra, Indonesia and it was an 8.6 magnitude.  The most powerful earthquake was in Chile in 1960, it was a 9.3 on the Richter Scale.  It is said that this earthquake was a 100,000 times more powerful than a nuclear explosion. 
Despite the fear of earthquakes in peoples brains for us, I choose to not be afraid.  You never know when an earthquake will hit, but it is good to be prepared.  In preparation one should make safety plans, and know how to "Drop, cover and hold on" or here in Papua everyone runs outside.  Bolt heavy items to the floor or wall.  Also keep an emergency supply kit which can be found on this Red Cross website. www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster   In closing the Bible says that earthquakes will be a sign of the time of Jesus' second coming.  As I said in the beginning of this report, 28 earthquakes have happened in the last 7 days just in Indonesia alone.  Surely Jesus is coming soon!
I am singing: "Datang sagra, datang sagra, Yesus mau datang sagra!!!"  "Coming again, coming again, Jesus is coming again!!!"

www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster
www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes
Killer quake DVD by NOVA
Maslin, Mark.  "Earthquakes".  England: Wayland Publishers Ltd., 2000.
Prager, Ellen.  "Earthquakes and Volcanoes".  New York: Chelsea House, 2009. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Last Flight

Change Never Happens Fast, Except Today it Did

Anguished Hearts