From ancient times people were afraid of natural disasters. these unpredictable disasters killed thousands of people and destroy dozens of cities. it was called "the punishment of the gods". all of these is about the earthquakes. today we can explain what the earthquake is, why it occurs and even define the earthquake-prone areas. so, why do earthquakes happen? scientists say that the reason is the movement of tectonic plates of the earth, taking place because of the volcanic eruptions or underground explosions. over the past decade we have seen a number of seismic disasters in japan, china, chile, thailand, mexico and in other countries all over the world. in other words, the strongest earthquakes with the disastrous consequences cannot be controlled by a man, but they can be highly predicted. nowadays there are many ways to reduce the damage to a minimum. we use special materials while constructing buildings or applying special architectural solutions as well as long-term or short-term forecasting of probable earthquakes. to conclude, today the earthquakes are much less threatening than fifty years ago. they are no longer considered as the punishment of the heaven, just like a natural phenomenon like rain or fog.
