Dear Mr. President,

I’ve been studying about the earthquakes that happened between November 7, 2001 and November 9, 2001. All the earthquakes I studied were larger than 3.3 on the Richter scale. By studying these earthquakes, I have discovered that the largest number take place in the area of Australia – Indonesia. During November 7 – 9, seven earthquakes occurred there. They were a 4.3 through 5.7 in magnitude.

The most recent earthquake, until now, happened in the south of Mariana Islands at 20:14:42, its magnitude was of 4.8. It was located on 11.87N and 143.63E, and the depth was of 33.0 kilometers.

The most powerful earthquake was a 6.1 in magnitude, it was located on the region of the Panama – Costa Rica border. It happened at 00:47:57 it’s also one of the most recent earthquakes because it happened today. This earthquake was located at 9.63N and 82.23W, its depth was 33.0 kilometers.

During this week, we had an earthquake here in the United States. It occurred November 7, 2001 at 19:39:01. It happened in Northern California, located at 40.87N and 121.63W. Its magnitude was of 3.3 and its depth was of 12.3 kilometers.

Mr. President, you wanted to know what causes earthquakes and here is your answer: Earthquakes are caused when plates move, rub, or push against each other. These plates are floating over molten lava called magma. This magma has currents, like the ocean does, that move in circular form. When these plates meet, they are pushing on each other and they are building up tension. So, when they finally slip they release a great amount of energy in the form of shock waves. This vibration causes the ground to move and shake causing our famous "Earthquakes." These earthquakes happen most of the time in areas near the plate edges and along faults.

I hope I have answered all your questions.

Sincerely,

Juliana