Earthquakes are deadly and dangerous, as they can happen out of nowhere. They devastate people all over the world, more recently in Turkey and Syria, when the nations were hit by an earthquake that reached a 7.8 magnitude. It demolished buildings, land, and left tens of thousands dead or injured. Every year about 20,000 earthquakes occur , ranging from a small quake all the way to the devastating ones that Turkey and Syria experienced.

Earthquakes happen when a fault is formed between two tectonic plates. Because tectonic plates are very slow moving, faults can either happen very fast or take a very long time. Once a fault is formed a slip needs to take place, this sudden shift, releases high energy and in return seismic waves are created. These seismic waves cause the earth to shake. Depending on how severe the shake is, the higher  its measure on the seismic magnitude scale. The scale goes from zero to nine, zero being the least severe and 9 being the most impactful.

The last time the United States mainland was hit by a major earthquake was in 1994 when Northridge, California was rocked by a 6.7 magnitude earthquake. This cost billions of dollars in damages and injured thousands. Any place that lies on or near tectonic plates is in danger of being hit by an earthquake or the products of an earthquake, including tsunamis. 

Most earthquakes that occur are rarely massively destructive, but when a devastating one like the earthquake that rocked the middle east region, many relief efforts and donations are needed to support recovery. Check out the red cross website and any other earthquake relief efforts to contribute to the reconstruction and rebuilding of the damaged places.