Myths about earthquakes you should stop believing

Recent seismic events, including a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in western Colombia and a double tremor in Venezuela, have reignited public discussion about earthquakes. Many explanations, ranging from the intuitive to the fantastical, circulate during times of alarm. However, science offers a clearer understanding of these phenomena.

One persistent myth is that animals can predict earthquakes. While ancient beliefs and some modern observations suggest this, scientific evidence remains inconclusive. Some animals may sense seismic vibrations at frequencies below human hearing, but these sensations often occur after the event, making prediction impossible. Therefore, the idea of animals foreseeing earthquakes is not scientifically validated.

Similarly, the notion that weather conditions like dryness and heat can predict earthquakes is unfounded. Aristotles's theory that trapped hot winds escaping caverns cause tremors has been disproven. Earthquakes can occur in any climate, regardless of temperature or humidity. The focus of geophysical institutes, such as Ecuador's Geophysics Institute, is on monitoring seismic activity, not prediction. Their alarms detect tremors as they happen, not in advance.

The article also debunks the dramatic cinematic portrayal of people being "swallowed by the earth" during an earthquake. While ground liquefaction can cause structures to sink and people to fall, the earth does not literally open up to consume individuals. The science behind earthquakes focuses on tectonic plate movement and the resulting seismic waves, not on fantastical scenarios.

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No, el clima no influye en nada cuando existe un movimiento telúrico. Un terremoto puede ocurrir en frío o calor, en sequedad o humedad.