Earthquake!

Lex

At first I thought the wall had been hit by a truck then realised that we were two floors up so that couldn't be true. Then the bed moved forward then backwards and the headboard slammed into the wall angrily. The time was 7:00pm and we had just experienced our first earthquake.

We jumped up and ran out to the balcony to see what had happened. The pool guy Randall was already on his phone to find out details. He told us in Spanish that it had been a ' terremoto' (earthquake). We shouted the news to all the other inhabitants of the apartments. He told us that if it was stronger later we had to go and wait in the street. I started to shake and had to lie down to stop myself going into shock. I felt sick and panicky. I packed my bag and laid out clothes in case of emergency. I survived the night.

The second earthquake felt slightly different. It was a bit bigger 4.3 on the Richter scale , the other was 3.7. We were in the apartment when the chairs started to move and the windows seemed to wobble in their frames.

The third and fourth earthquakes did not phase us at all!

Fact File

Did you know some of these facts?

80% of all earthquakes occur round the ring of fire .

The ring of fire is around the rim of the pacific coast.

Costa Rica is on the ring of fire .

Each earthquake is given a number depending on its strength and duration .
3-5minor.
5-7moderate.
7-8major.
8 or more is great.
To measure these geologists use a seismometer and it is also called The Richter Scale.

The biggest earthquake ever recorded was in Chile in 1960 it was 9.5.

The earths upper layer is made up of giant rock slabs called tectonic plates.

An earthquake happens when plates pull apart or collide.

Tsunami are huge waves caused by earth quakes or volcanoes at sea.

The epicentre of an earthquake is the point on the surface directly above the origin of the rocks below.