• Question: Is there a device to stop an earthquake

    Asked by MrTomTheNewABomb to Ted, S. S., Laura, Kevin, Ellen, Andrea on 6 Mar 2019.
    • Photo: Ellen Simmons

      Ellen Simmons answered on 6 Mar 2019:

      There are devices to detect earthquakes, but nothing as far as I know that would stop it. The most important part of being safe from earthquakes is to build buildings that will be able to withstand most quakes, and to be able to detect an earthquake early enough that people can take shelter. The safest place to stand in an earthquake is usually underneath a door frame, as this tends to be the sturdiest structure in a house!

      Buildings in Japan are built so that they “bend” instead of shattering when an earthquake hits.
      https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/about/publications/tansei/10/75-recovery-buildings.html

    • Photo: Andrea Pacheco

      Andrea Pacheco answered on 7 Mar 2019:

      No, earthquakes are caused by natural movement Earths lithosphere and we can not control the natural dynamics of our planet

    • Photo: Ted Burke

      Ted Burke answered on 9 Mar 2019:

      You can’t stop earthquakes, but you can design things to reduce the damage they cause. Making buildings with strong load-bearing structures like arches can help. Also, buildings that are designed to move around a little bit when the ground shakes are often more likely to survive an earthquake because they don’t just crack and fall apart during the tremors.

    • Photo: Kevin OBrien

      Kevin OBrien answered on 12 Mar 2019:

      I don’t think so.
      Earthquakes are caused by the earths tectonic plates rubbing and pushing against each other.
      They are massive and release huge amounts of energy when they move. It would not be practical to try to prevent an earthquake.

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