The Topeka state journal., 1911-12-11
NO EARTHoUAKE IMMUNITY.
No Reason Why They should Not Oc-
cur Anywhere on the Earth.

Scientists who nave made a study of
earthquakes expressed no astonishm ent
at the fact that extensive shocks had
occurred in Germany and Switzerland,
where heretofore they have been al
most unknown They said that while
earthquakes we1e more common in
certain other localities, there was no
reason why one should not occur any
where.
Earthquakes IN central Europe are
unusual" said ole seism ologist, but
that doesn't mean that there is any
thing surprising about one. The seis-
mologist. hearing of one. is inclined
rather to say to himself, Hello, there's
something going on in that region
noW!'
THE something that goes on, out
side of districts where volcanic dis
turbances are the direct cause of
shocks is usually a break or geologi-
cal fault, a slipping of a stratum of the
earth's crust, which may first crack
and then sink or be thrust up, accord
ing to the direction of the stress that
caused it. This rupture is enough to
cause tremors through the earth, often
with resulting damage to buildings.
THE idea some people have that the
earth rolls up in great waves like the
sea is erroneous. and those who de-
scribe how they have seen waves rip
ping across a field are much gifted
in ina gination. In fact, the ground
moves upward, downward, obliquely,
or horizontally, through a very small
fraction of inch. and seldom
through a space of more than 8
inches. The destructiveness of an
earthquake depends more on its We
locity than on the size of the waves
With great velocity movement of a
small fraction of inch is sufficient
to shatter brick buildings.
Now as to these breaks in strata
that cause many earthquakes. A con-
siderable amount of corrugation of the
earth's crust has occurred, for which
number of causes have been assigned.
Whatever the causes it is certain that
stresses have accumulated sufficient to
raise great mountain systems and
bring about much reformation of the
rocks of the earth's crust. 1t is reas-
enable to suppose that these stresses
may at certain times and places ac-
cumulate to such an extent as to cause
violent rupture, which would be felt
as an earthquake shock
1.-The view is therefore commonly
accepted by geologists that many
earthquakes are but incidents in the
readjustment of the earth's crust to
changing conditions of pressure. These
naturally occur more frequently along
the boundary between great elevations
and great depressions. as along the
Pacific coast, with the Rocky noun
tains and the Andes on one hand, and
the steep declivities of the ocean bed
on the other.
"On the Atlantic coast there are no
high mountains, and the shelf of the
ocean bed declines gradually. Severe
therefore, would be more un-
usual in this neighborhood, yet there is
no reason why one should not exist
and cause an earthquake. Central Eu- 7
rope is remote from the ocean bed, (
so that great depression is eliminated {
and only the mountains remain.
IN Switzerland of course. we have
the Alps. and earthquakes may be, and
often have been. caused by great avail /
anches. on the whole, it is perhaps
more remarkable that there have been
so few earthquakes in that region. -
New York Times