What are the most common earthquake myths?

What are the most common earthquake myths?

Tom Jordan (Director, Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC)) gives expert video advice on: What is the probability of a severe earthquake striking a major city?; Where do earthquakes most often occur?; What are the most common earthquake myths? and more...

There are many earthquake myths. One of my favorite is the myth of “earthquake weather.” Some people believe that certain weather patterns are condusive to the occurrence of earthquakes, and there is no scientific evidence that this is the case. Another earthquake myth is that large regions like California might break off and fall into the ocean. Even the largest earthquakes produce motions along geologic faults of only about 1-2 meters--not nearly enough to submerge California. Another earthquake is that animals can sense earthquakes coming in advance. Although there are many stories of this sort, there is, again, no scientific evidence that animals can detect earthquakes in ways that humans cannot.