California is a place where earthquakes happen.
I think that earthquakes occur over plate boundaries because tension pulls on the crust, compression squeezes the rock until it fold or breaks, and shearing pushes a mass of rock in two opposite directions. When the two rocks slip past each other this can cause an earthquake.
The western side of North America, where earthquakes occur is called the Ring of Fire.
The earthquake closest to Manitou Springs is 40.953°N, 106.930°W in Colorado. The magnitude of this earthquake is 3.2, occurred Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 12:10 P.M. at epicenter in Colorado, the location is 40.953°N, 106.930°W, the depth is 3.1 miles, and 134 miles NW from Denver, CO.People could feel a 3.2 magnitude, but it would cause minor damage.
In a magnitude 1 earthquake it would be barely noticeable and in one that is a 3.2 it wouldn't be recognized as an earthquake to the general public, but may be felt in an upper floor of a building.
The energy released from this earthquake compared to the energy of a magnitude 1 would be slightly more with the 3.2 magnitude.
The earthquake I chose was near Chiapas, Mexico on Friday, January 16, 2009 at 8:57 P.M. It's magnitude is 5.8, located at 15.805°N, 92.482°, and the depth is 109.6 miles. There aren't that many recent earthquakes in that area. This earthquake was felt at Coatzacoalcos, Mitla, San Cristobal de las Casas, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Xalapa, Yajalon, Antigua, and Guatemala. There could be slight damage to buildings.A few ways people can protect themselves from earthquakes are to shut off gas, electricity, and water. During the earthquake watch out for falling objects and stay away from windows and other glass. Also hide under a stable structure that can protect you from falling objects. Sometimes following an earthquake is the aftershock, so be prepared for those. These are a few ways to protect yourself in an earthquake.
