Natural disasters affect millions of people around the world every day. Earthquakes are one of the most powerful natural disasters that cause damage to our environment and, in turn, cost trillions of dollars every year. To respect the power of earthquakes we must first understand their cause, how they differ from biological energy, where they occur, what kind of damage they cause, how we can predict it, and how we can protect ourselves from it. Living in known seismic zones is dangerous and can result in huge financial and life losses. Fryer says, “Earthquakes are caused by faulting, a sudden lateral or vertical movement of rock along a failure surface.” These ruptures occur primarily at the edges of the seven large plates that make up the earth's outermost layer ("earth's floor"). Plates are named after the continents or oceans that inhabit them, such as the Pacific, Australian, Antarctic, Eurasian, North American, African, and South American plates ("earth's floor"). The plates float and move due to convective currents originating in the Earth's core that move the plates in different directions ("tectonic plates"). Due to the intense friction between the plates, their movement is often stored as potential energy until the two plates shift and move causing the earth to shake (Wald). The use of energy is similar between the natural energy of earthquakes and the biological energy of plates. food chain. Biological energy is often stored as potential energy in the form of food and converted to kinetic energy when an organism uses that energy to perform work ("The Story of Energy"). In the case of earthquakes, the movement of plates against each other causes an accumulation of potential energy (Wald). The plates convert the...... middle of the paper......p://www.pbs.org/wnet/savageearth/hellscrust/html/sidebar3.htmlTechnical Plates. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.moorlandschool.co.uk/earth/tectonic.htm The story of energy - chapter 1: energy - what is it?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter01.htmlThe Seismograph. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.leo.lehigh.edu/projects/seismic/seismograph.htmlTips for being prepared. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.lmu.edu/studentlife/studenthousing/earthquakesafety/Tips_on_Being_Prepared.htmTypes of Earthquake Damage. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.stfrancis.edu/content/ns/bromer/earthsci/student2/damage.htmWald, L. (n.d.). The science of earthquakes. Retrieved from http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/kids/eqscience.phpWhat is biological energy?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://web.mit.edu/~pweigele/www/being/content/what.html