It’s already been debunked that crime is increasing, the short of it being that while crime statistics are going down one or two digits a year, the reporting is going up by quadruple digits which dives a distorted view of reality.   I wonder about the same thing regarding earthquakes.  As it turns out, whenever there are a lot of earthquakes “in the news” the USGS gets this question asked a lot in America.  Well, they have recently published a response: According to the past 110 years the USGS says … not really, “According to long-term records (since about 1900), we expect about 17 major earthquakes (7.0 – 7.9) and one great earthquake (8.0 or above) in any given year.” So yes, indeed it’s just the reporting of earthquakes has increased (measuring equipment goes from 350 in 1931 to 8,000+ today).  Most don’t realize it but wherever they are living, there are probably hundreds, if not thousands of earthquakes a year in the state or country in which you live. In my state, there are 300-400 earthquakes a year.

Another freakonomics like belief debunked.  Where the story becoming really interesting is WHY people WANT to believe that earthquakes and crime is continually going up. . .