ancient people had some bizarre notions to explain earthquakes. What are some?
364390
That the Gods were angry with them and showing their wrath. That's the only one I know
280371
well I don't know how old it is but I'm pretty sure they formed from two tectonics plates crashing in a convergent matter causing reverse faults\n\nin other words two land plate crashed and all that pressure made the mountains
12062
In adventures and religious myths everything is possible. Don't try to give rational reasons for it. Many things could have inspired the storytellers: metheors, comets etc.
749900
I actually saw a documentary on this, on the channel "Discovery Civilizations".\n\nBasically, it said the whole area is tectonically unstable and laced with pockets of underground gas.  There was an earthquake, that resulted in liquefaction of the sands, and the entire cities slid right into the sea.  The fires were the result of friction lighting the gas pockets on fire.   \n\nIt would have been horrifying to behold.
1176166
one cannot predict earthquakes, but due to the behavorial changes or sounds made by birds or other animals we can just become aware and alert about the possibility of an earthquake. also if some underground animals start coming out of their holes it means an earthquake can occur because they have very good sensing organs and can sense the frequencies matching that of an earthquake.
562356
Yes! That is what causes all earthquakes!\n\nIt is a conspiracy!
925385
Oh I dunno - earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, axe murderers, people who leave the gas on, that kind of thing, I guess. Or were you thinking more in the way of turning over awkwardly and breaking your neck?
961199
The oldest compilations of data were made in the late 19th and early 20th century. These provide the basic data for research, but they also tend to contain errors; confusing the events, dates and places. Great care is therefore needed with the interpretation of this data.\n\nNeilson, Musson and Burton (1984) studied 101 earthquakes occurring between 1727 and 1979, using contemporary reports from press cuttings, books, letters and academic papers. Their findings, included two events in the Dover Strait (1776 and 1950), and one in Belgium (1938). Relatively few earthquakes were large enough to have been recorded simultaneously in England, France and Belguim.\n\nA study undertaken during the design of the Channel Tunnel showed that in the southeast of England the largest recorded earthquake (1580) may have had a magnitude of 5.3 to 5.9 and an epicentre beneath the Channel. This event had an estimated focal depth of 20 to 25 kilometres associated with the Kent-Artois shear zone.\n\nThis showed that only two major earthquakes (by UK standards) are recorded to have affected the Dover Strait. These events occurred such a long time ago, however (1382 and 1580), that their interpretation is difficult. The findings of Neilson, Musson and Burton who established less significant 1776 and 1950 earthquakes in the Dover Strait ponts towards a return period of about 200 years in this area.\n\nThe earthquake at 3p.m. on 21 May 1382\n\nThis is the lesser known of the two major events, although some quite detailed records of its effects are preserved. These consist of approximately 80 references, of which about 30 are contemporary accounts. The maximum intensities appear to have been attained in Kent and Flanders. The records in Flanders are much more vague than in Kent, and the focal features can only be determined to a large extent by interpretation.\n\nVarious contemporary chronicles reported effects in England, such as severe shaking of trees, houses, churches, towers and castles, and panic among the population. The accounts of the archdiocese of Canterbury and papers attributed to Archbishop Courtenay describe the repairs needed after the earthquake. Significant damage was caused to St Augustine's Abbey and to Christ Church (collapse of the belfry, damage to the presbytery, priory and cloister). All Saints, to the west of Canterbury, needed repairs to the choir and strengthening to the (up to 1 metre thick) walls. The treasury accounts of the manors of Hollingbourne and Loose similarly record the costs for various repairs. At Saltwood a prisoner was able to escape in the confusion caused by the earthquake.\n\nIn London a sitting of Parliament and a trial of heretics at Blackheath were interrupted by the earthquake. Damage to St Paul's Cathedral, repaired in 1387, was attributed mainly to the 'terrible earthquake'.\n\nIn Flanders several buildings collapsed in Bruges, severe damage occurred to buildings in Liege and chimneys were brought down in Ghent.\n\nThe earthquake at 6p.m. on 6 April 1580\n\nThis better known event has been studied by a number of researchers, and its focus has been attributed to a wide area from London to the North Sea. It has been suggested that it can be correlated with the major earthquake of 1931 between Holland and Suffolk, but most researchers would now accept its most likely focus as being in the Channel. There are about 130 records, mostly contemporary, for this event.\n\nSections of wall fell in Dover, including the loss of a piece of the cliff and castle wall. At Sandwich people reported hearing a loud noise, which seemed to come from somewhere in the Channel. A gable end fell from the north wing of St Peter's church, four arches cracked in St Mary's church and part of a chimney fell down. Damage also occurred at Saltwood Castle, Sutton, Postling and Lydden churches. The tower at St Peter's in Broadstairs still bears a large crack which has been attributed to this event.\n\nIn Cala
20843
I read somewhere that when people found dinosuar bones, they believed them to be dragons. I guess as a way to explain them.  Not sure though
557783
there may have been other things on them long before humans.  There mat be things on them ling after humans.
129672
Ha, good one!  The ancients belived that the sky was a solid dome (firmament), and the stars, planets, and sun were all attached to it and spun around on rails, or glass spheres.  This was, of course, proved wrong long ago by Copernicus and Galileo, the dawn of the space age only confirmed that their theories were true.
231920
Animals have keen senses that help them avoid predators or locate prey. It is thought that these senses might also help them detect pending disasters. Several countries have conducted research on the detection of earthquakes by animals.\n\nThere are two theories as to how animals may be able to detect earthquakes. One theory is that animals sense the earth's vibrations. Another is that they can detect changes in the air or gases released by the earth. There has been no conclusive evidence as to how animals may be able to sense earthquakes. Some researchers believe the animals at Yala National Park were able to detect the earthquake and move to higher ground before the tsunami hit, causing massive waves and flooding. \n\nOther researchers are skeptical about using animals as earthquake and natural disaster detectors. They site the difficulty of developing a controlled study that can connect a specific animal behavior with an earthquake occurrence. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) officially states: *Changes in animal behavior cannot be used to predict earthquakes. Even though there have been documented cases of unusual animal behavior prior to earthquakes, a reproducible connection between a specific behavior and the occurrence of an earthquake has not been made. Because of their finely tuned senses, animals can often feel the earthquake at its earliest stages before the humans around it can. This feeds the myth that the animal knew the earthquake was coming. But animals also change their behavior for many reasons, and given that an earthquake can shake millions of people, it is likely that a few of their pets will, by chance, be acting strangely before an earthquake.\n\nAlthough scientists disagree as to whether animal behavior can be used to predict earthquakes and natural disasters, they all agree that it is possible for animals to sense changes in the environment before humans. Researchers around the world are continuing to study animal behavior and earthquakes. It is hoped that these studies will help to aid earthquake predictions.
811826
Because in the past, superstitious people attirbuted virtually everything to God or gods.\nEarthquakes, floods, storms, etc were all the work of God or the gods.\nOf course, most people are more reasonable and know it is mostly just natural disasters.
359031
If we count sundials, we are talking ancients.  Even water clocks and timed candles (with lines on them for how long it burns in an hour) are pretty ancient.
446224
The basic idea is that the earth's land mass was unified hundreds of millions of years ago, but has been gradually pulling apart since then.\nAnd large land masses are resting on huge plates. The plates bump against each other, and when one of them shifts,\nyou have an earthquake.\nThink of it like a jigsaw puzzle, but with continent-sized pieces.\n\nFor lots of pictures of plates, and faults, visit here:\nhttp://www.seismo.unr.edu/ftp/pub/louie/class/100/plate-tectonics.html
193579
I believe this in is the QUR'AN.\n\n\nDr. Bucaille says:\n\nHere men are told that the mountains are placed as tent pegs. Tent pegs keep the tent stable so again the idea is put forward that the pegs, the mountains, will keep the earth from shaking. \n\nA third picture is present in the word (rawasiya) used for mountains. Wehr translates this word as unshakable mountains. The Munjid says (al-jibal al-thawabat al-ruwasikh) firmly established, fixed mountains. The word comes from the root (arsa), the same root used for the Arabic word for anchor. To throw out or cast the anchor is (alqa almirsah). So instead of "cast the anchor to keep the ship from moving", we have "cast the mountains to keep the earth from shaking". \n\nFrom these pictures it is clear that Muhammad's followers understood that the Mountains were thrown down \n\n(a) like tent pegs to keep a tent in place. \n\n(b) like an anchor to hold a ship in place. \n\n(c) to stop the earth from moving. i.e. limit earthquakes, \n\nBut, in fact, this is false. Earthquakes are common events associated with the forming of mountains. \n\nSince these verses present a definite problem, after quoting several of the above verses about mountains Dr. Bucaille says, \n\n"Modern geologists describe the folds in the Earth as giving foundations to the mountains, and their dimensions go roughly one mile to roughly 10 miles. The stability of the Earth's crust results from the phenomenon of these folds."
23698
An earthquake is a sudden and sometimes catastrophic movement of a part of the Earth's surface. Earthquakes result from the dynamic release of elastic strain energy that radiates seismic waves. Earthquakes typically result from the movement of faults, planar zones of deformation within the Earth's upper crust. The word earthquake is also widely used to indicate the source region itself. The Earth's lithosphere is a patch work of plates in slow but constant motion (see plate tectonics). Earthquakes occur where the stress resulting from the differential motion of these plates exceeds the strength of the crust. The highest stress (and possible weakest zones) are most often found at the boundaries of the tectonic plates and hence these locations are where the majority of earthquakes occur. Events located at plate boundaries are called interplate earthquakes; the less frequent events that occur in the interior of the lithospheric plates are called intraplate earthquakes (see New Madrid Seismic Zone). Earthquakes related to plate tectonics are called tectonic earthquakes. Most earthquakes are tectonic, but they also occur in volcanic regions and as the result of a number of anthropogenic sources, such as reservoir induced seismicity, mining and the removal or injection of fluids into the crust. Seismic waves including some strong enough to be felt by humans can also be caused by explosions (chemical or nuclear), landslides, and collapse of old mine shafts, though these sources are not strictly earthquakes.