Earthquakes, also called temblors, can be so tremendously destructive; it’s hard to imagine they occur by the thousands every day around the world, usually in the form of small tremors.
地震，又称地震，有极大地破坏性；很难想象他们每天在地球上发生几千次是什么状况，经常以小地震形式发生。
Some 80 percent of all the planet's earthquakes occur along the rim of the Pacific Ocean, called the "Ring of Fire" because of the preponderance of volcanic activity there as well. Most earthquakes occur at fault zones, where tectonic plates—giant rock slabs that make up the Earth's upper layer—collide or slide against each other. These impacts are usually gradual and unnoticeable on the surface; however, immense stress can build up between plates. When this stress is released quickly, it sends massive vibrations, called seismic waves, often hundreds of miles through the rock and up to the surface. Other quakes can occur far from faults zones when plates are stretched or squeezed.
80%的地震星球地震发生在太平洋的附近，由于那里有许多剧烈的地壳运动，因此又被叫做“太平洋火山带”。
大部分地震发生在断层带，是那里的地壳板块（由巨大的岩石胶层组成）相互碰撞挤压所致。
这些效应在地球白哦面都是渐进的；然而在不同的板块之间可以形成巨大的压力。
当这些压力快速的释放时，产生巨大的振动，称作地震
波，经常以数百英里的岩石和上升到地面。
当板块被挤压时，其他地震会发生在远离地震带的地方。
Scientists assign a magnitude rating to earthquakes based on the strength and duration of their seismic waves. A quake measuring 3 to 5 is considered minor or light; 5 to 7 is moderate to strong; 7 to 8 is major; and 8 or more is great.
科学家根据他们地震波的强度和持续时间按大小等级分配。
一个3-5级的地震通常被认为是小的或者是轻的；5-7级是较强的；7-8级地震是大地震；8级及以上就被认为是很大的了。
On average, a magnitude 8 quake strikes somewhere every year and some 10,000 people die in earthquakes annually. Collapsing buildings claim by far the majority of lives, but the destruction is often compounded by mud slides, fires, floods, or tsunamis. Smaller temblors that usually occur in the days following a large earthquake can complicate rescue efforts and cause further death and destruction.
平均，每年世界上都会发生一个8级的地震，通常会有一万多人会死于地震。
倒塌的建筑物是造成伤亡的最主要原因，但是破坏度通常加重由泥石流、火灾、水灾、或海啸。
小型地震经常在大地震发生时连续几天发生，会加重救援困难，并且产生进一步的死亡和破坏。
Loss of life can be avoided through emergency planning, education, and the construction of buildings that sway rather than break under the stress of an earthquake. 生命的损失是可以避免因紧急计划,教育,以及建造建筑物摇动,而不是打破的压力下的地震。