[QUOTE]Originally posted by I. S.:
Each and every Earthquake is slightly altering the tectonic plates boundarys that our Continents are sitting upon.
Major Earthquakes only within the last ten years are:-
Dec. 26, 2003: Southeastern Iran, Bam, magnitude 6.5; More than 41,000 killed.
May 21, 2003: Northern Algeria, magnitude 6.8; Nearly 2,300 killed.
March 25, 2002: Northern Afghanistan, magnitude 5.8; up to 1,000 killed.
Jan. 26, 2001: India, magnitude 7.9; Estimates put death toll as high as 13,000.
Sept. 21, 1999: Taiwan, magnitude 7.6; 2,400 killed.
Aug. 17, 1999: Western Turkey, magnitude 7.4; 17,000 killed.
Jan. 25, 1999: Western Colombia, magnitude 6; 1,171 killed.
May 30, 1998: Northern Afghanistan and Tajikistan, magnitude 6.9; as many as 5,000 killed.
Jan. 17, 1995: Kobe, Japan, magnitude 7.2; more than 6,000 killed.
Sept. 30, 1993: Latur, India, magnitude 6.0; as many as 10,000 killed.
And now, off the coast of Sumatra, (almost to the day of the Iranian Bam earthquake last year)
I would guesstimate that there could be as many as 95,000 dead once the figures come in.
One can only feel deep sorrow for the plight of peoples that live within 200 miles of the Earths Tectonic Faults, especially those Asian majoritys that live on the Seaboards.
The largest loss of life ocurred on July 28th 1976 in Tangshan China where 240,000 died.
Basically each Continent is sitting, (floating) on their own Plate, and at the present time
while Pacific ocean is getting smaller, due to the widening of the Atlantic ocean. There will come a time when the Americas will drift back and collide with Africa within the next 250 million years (From whence they came)
According to the "Future VR ..Continental Drift Animations" found below:-
http://www.scotese.com/newpage13.htm