One of the most fascinating
parts of Physical Geography is the plate tectonics theory
which helps explain volcanic formations and earthquakes,
among other things. This series of caches is dedicated to
some of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded. A great
quake is one that has a magnitude of 8.0 or
greater.
Kamchatka, Russia has been the site
of two great earthquakes. The first occurred on October 16, 1737
and had magnitude of ~9.3. The second was a 9.0 earthquake that
occurred on November 4, 1952. Both earthquakes occurred at
approximately the same location where the Pacific Plate subducts
the Okhotsk Plate at the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench and both resulted
in tsunami formation. As with most of the earthquakes in this
series, these were megathrust earthquakes. A megathrust earthquake
is an interplate earthquake where one tectonic plate subducts
beneath another. For the most part, they occur in the Pacific and
Indian Oceans and are connected to the Ring of Fire. Since these
earthquakes deform the ocean floor, they almost always generate a
significant tsunami.
This earthquake occurred in the
so-called Ring of Fire region, an area around the margins of the
Pacific Ocean where approximately 3/4ths of the Earth’s volcanoes
are located. This is a zone where the Pacific plate meets many
other plates. As a result of the collisions between these plates,
the Ring of Fire is the most seismically active zone in the world.
More earthquakes and volcanic eruptions happen here than anywhere
else on Earth. To see a map of the Ring of Fire, go to (visit link) . For more information on
earthquakes, go to (visit link) . For more information on the plate
tectonic theory, go to (visit link) .
In keeping with my philosophy that
Physical Geography affects you every single day of your life,we
have hidden these caches in everyday places. This is a nice little
neighborhood park that you might not have known about.
BYOP!
UPDATE: September 24, 2007 I am having a lot of trouble with
several stages of this series. Therefore I have decided to archive
the whole series on Oct 15th. If you plan to do the series, please
do so before Oct 15th.
If you have found the others in the series and need the bonus
coord from this cache, please email me through GC.com and I will
give it to you
It was fun while it lasted. Thanks for visiting - hope you learned
something.
Congratulations to Deafdillos on the FTF!