Story Created:
Feb 2, 2010 at 8:22 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Feb 2, 2010 at 8:25 PM CDT
The destruction of the earthquake in Haiti has middle Georgians wondering, can it ever happen here?
The destruction of the earthquake in Haiti has middle Georgians wondering, can it ever happen here?
I sat down with Dr. Randall Peters, a Physics Professor from Mercer University and he says, an earthquake is the rupture of the earth's crust. They can happen anywhere, but are more common along the west coast.
Dr. Peters: "It is much more common in places where subduction of plates of the earth happens, like the ring of fire like the California coast is an example."
Shaking associated with earthquakes are the vibration or noises found on a seismograph. The patented Volksmeter performs similar functions. Spikes on the diagram show vibrations from Dr. Randall Peters stepping into the box.
Dr. Peters: "This is the results of me going in this and walking around."
The large 6 by 6 by 5 surrounding box holds a red colored casing that protects two pendulums that move east and west and north and south. Just below that lies a stabilizing 20 foot long cylinder hidden to the naked eye.
The Volksmeter just like a seismograph responds to the accelerations of the earth as the wave comes through anything that jolts the ground and involves accelerations in an instrument like the pendulum or an accelerometer.
Although the saddening images of Haiti is a rare and catastrophic event, middle Georgia also experienced some quakes this past year.
Dr. Peters: "The real damaging one like the 7 of Haiti, those are rare. I mean it's been decades, centuries since we've seen a very much activity of the sort like that."
Closer to home are the quakes that occurred in the Milledgeville area near Lake Sinclair in the past year that caused uncomfortable ground shaking and items to shake off a wall.
Dr. Peters: "It's not that all uncommon for areas of Georgia and Atlanta area to experience small earthquake one's in the magnitude of 2's and 3's."
7.0 magnitude earthquakes like the one that struck Haiti are rare. Smaller earthquakes like the one felt in Milledgeville are surprisingly much more common.
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