You’ve seen earthquakes depicted in movies where the ground opens up and swallows people and cars and homes into a large, gaping hole.
That’s just a myth.
The ground moves across a fault during an earthquake, not away from it, according to the Earthquake Country Alliance. If the fault could open up and devour people and objects, there wouldn’t be any friction meaning there wouldn’t be an earthquake.
There’s no doubt earthquakes are dangerous. Get more information about earthquakes at earthquakecountry.org before the next earthquake hits so you can be prepared.
Don’t forget to register at shakeout.org/california for the Great California Shakeout at 10:16 a.m. on October 16, 2014.