5 Important Things to Know About Aftershocks

  • Decreasing Patterns
  • Aftershocks and Triggered Quakes
  • Long Duration
  • Greater Danger
  • Phantom Quakes

People living in earthquake-prone areas can benefit from knowing facts about aftershocks. Most people think of earthquakes as happening in certain geographical areas, such as California or the Pacific Islands. The truth is that earthquakes can happen anywhere although the major ones do tend to be along large fault lines.

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1. Decreasing Patterns

Aftershocks can be terrifying for people living in earthquake-prone areas, particularly as they have a reputation for being even more damaging than the actual earthquake. However, aftershocks are weaker and follow a pattern in which they decrease in intensity and frequency. The greatest danger from aftershocks comes in the first hours after the initial quake, and large aftershocks are generally associated with large quakes.

2. Aftershocks and Triggered Quakes

Earthquakes are the result of stress when two tectonic plates move against each other. An aftershock is no different from an earthquake itself. They are simply smaller quakes. In fact, according to an article at Live Science, when an aftershock is significantly larger, it may then be considered the main quake. Triggered quakes are another type of quake that may follow an earthquake but that happen along different fault lines.

3. Long Duration

After an earthquake, people in the vicinity are often pretty nervous for a few days as they wait for the aftershocks to roll in. The bad news is that aftershocks can go on for longer than a few days. Even worse, they don’t just go on for weeks or even months or decades. Aftershocks can continue for centuries. The good news is that these long-term aftershocks are generally harmless and may not even be felt. According to an article in Scientific American, one example is the New Madrid fault in the American Midwest. After a dramatic upheaval in the early 19th century, aftershocks continue more than 200 years later. However, for people living in earthquake-prone areas, one of the most important facts to remember about aftershocks is that the severe ones are likely to dissipate in a few days.

4. Greater Danger

As mentioned above, even though aftershocks are smaller than the first earthquake and usually do little damage, they can also be devastating. The reason is that structures are already weakened from the first quake, so they are more vulnerable even if the aftershock is comparatively less severe. Knowing about aftershocks and preparing for them is important for people living in earthquake-prone areas. They should put on shoes and try to get to an area that is safer and more stable, including leaving a damaged home. If an aftershock hits, people should follow the same safety protocol they would for the main earthquake.

5. Phantom Quakes

The possibility of aftershocks should always be taken seriously, but after an earthquake, there is a psychological phenomenon known as “phantom quakes.” People who have been on a boat and then had trouble adjusting to walking on land will be familiar with the same sort of mechanism that triggers phantom quakes. According to The Guardian, after an event like an earthquake, the brain does not process movement as effectively, and the sense of a quake happening again may be the result.

It is important to take steps to stay safe both during and after an earthquake. These five facts about aftershocks may help people living in earthquake-prone areas better prepare for the aftermath of a major quake.