Did You Feel It?

摘要

The grip that earthquakes have on our imagination is expressed by the penetration of seismological vocabulary into wider use. Extreme events—if they're sufficiently disruptive—are described as "like an earthquake." "Seismic" is used as an emphatic synonym of "significant." The point of origin of an unfortunate event is referred to as "the epicenter." The worst conceivable disasters are described as "the Big One." At their worst, earthquakes are the most extreme, sudden-onset disasters humankind has had to deal with. Nothing else has caused such devastation on such a large scale so quickly. Earthquakes are yet more unnervine because thev refute the notion of terra firma, occur without warning, and progress from barely perceptible to violent in seconds. Fortunately, large earthquakes occur infrequently. But thai makes them unfamiliar to those who have the misfortune to be caught in them, difficult tc prepare for, and challenging to study.