How to Not Fall Into an Earthquake Fault

The U.S. Geological Survey has reassured America that the idea of fault opening up in a huge earth-swallowing earthquake contradicts good science and represents a figment of some moviemaker's imagination. But, if you can't get past the fear those screen images conjure, here are some tips to help you avoid falling into an earthquake fault.

Instructions

• 1

  Watch your step. When walking in Alaska, the state with the most earthquakes, watch where your feet hit the ground. If you see a large crevice in the snow that seems to be opening, do not step there.

• 2

  Drive around shaky bridges, not over them. If you are caught in San Francisco during an earthquake as large as the deadliest quake ever recorded in U.S. history -- the 1906 San Francisco quake -- do not cross the Golden Gate Bridge. The waters may not part like the Red Sea for Moses, but the bridge might.

• 3

  Avoid earthquake-prone areas of the United States. This means you can only live in one of four states - Florida, Iowa, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. The other 44 states all have documented fault lines running through them.

• 4

  Practice jumping in case the U.S. Geological Survey is wrong and you have to leap for your life when the "big one" happens.