Half of Americans live in quake-prone areas

LAHORE: Let alone the most earthquake-prone countries like Pakistan, India, Iran, Afghanistan, Indonesia, China, Japan and Nepal etc, even nearly half of Americans live in areas where Earth can be jolted by tremors and that a quake with a magnitude as high as 9.3 was possible, a number previously thought to be impossible for the US Pacific Northwest earthquake zone.
According to an August 17, 2015 report of the CNN, which had quoted the US Geological Survey experts, one does not have to live in California to be at risk of experiencing an earthquake, asserting further that states in the eastern United States have a greater chance of having a damaging quake than was previously thought!
The prestigious American television channel had revealed: “More than 143 million Americans could be exposed to potentially damaging ground shaking caused by earthquakes. Researchers looked at how populations have grown in earthquake-prone areas, and they say improvements in data collection provide a more accurate estimate than in years past. The study looked at ground shaking, which is caused by the passage of seismic plates. This shaking causes most property damage during an earthquake and can range from weak and barely noticeable to violent or extreme, with catastrophic damage.”