Plate Logistics

We could also say the bigger the plate the more motion of the plate and the more violent the volcanic activity around the edge.

The pacific plate is big and nick-named the Ring of Fire. I am sitting on the edge of it. I've been watch it and feeling its shaking for a while now. I'm getting fairly good at judging earthquake distance, magnitude, and size from how they feel. For example a somewhat slow build-up and rolling motion means it's a distance. A quick strong jolt which tapers off means it's close. How long it lasts and the amplitude indicates how big it is. The direction of center from you is usually parallel to the motion. Watch something hanging like a lamp or pot plant and in which way it is swinging. This is for small quakes, for the bigger ones you feel the swaying. Vertical thrust quakes mean you are close to the source. These are the most destructive.

The reason I say all this is with large quakes kicked off at the edge of a plate, the greater the distance from the plate center the slower the build-up so that one might have time to dive for the floor or ground or take safety, etc. The distance makes more of a rolling motion which helps take some of the destructive force out of it.

Still some places will go into resonance at some frequency and be a very destructive place to be. I don't know how to get a handle on this. We will have to trust our intuition and knowingness and choose the best spot we can. I think this will not be that much to worry about for once it kicks off for a while waves will be going every which way (white noise). However, anything with weight, that is long and secured at only one end, is suspect to resonance and possible destruction. For those who don't know what resonance is then look at a child in a swing giving a small shift of weight (a kick) using his legs at the right time to gain more and more amplitude. If the earth moves at the right frequency to give the extra kick each time a flexing object reaches a maximum amplitude then resonance and destruction is the result. Everything no matter how solid has flexibility and mass and thus a resonance frequency.

There is value to be near the center of a Techtronic Plate to give a potential pre-warning time and to minimize the strength and damage of shaking.

Offered by Mike.