While we in earthquake-prone places like California tend to get blase about the ground shaking ( aw hell, my coffee spilled! ), even the most unaffected of us feel that little niggle of fear whenever the walls start to shake... will this be a big one? These are some of the most basic things about earthquakes: what we know about them, why they happen and what they can do. This is not a safety list, but more of a list of facts about the most basic elements of an earthquake... what kinds there are, what causes them, the types of faults, etc.

Something to note is that it really is only recently (within the last 30-40 years) that we have really even begun to understand these dangerous natural events. Imagine what it must have been like 3,000 years ago when you had to not only deal with your hut collapsing on top of you, but having to wonder what you did that made your gods get so pissed off. Peruse this fascinating stuff about earthquakes, many of which are great earthquake facts for kids, and learn up! That Cascadia fault isn't going to stay put for long!