CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – According to the National Earthquake Information Center, around 55 earthquakes occur across the world every day and while many of them are minor some of them can be very strong.

Tectonic Plates below the earth’s surface are constantly moving and when these plates slip on a fault they release energy and the ground shakes. We use the Richter Scale to measure the strength of an earthquake. The scale is algorithmic and each number represents energy that is released that is 10 times stronger than the previous number.

The devastating earthquake that struck Turkey earlier this week was a magnitude 7.8, and on the same day a much smaller earthquake measuring 3.8 occurred near Buffalo, New York.

Most of the earthquakes that occur in our area are usually around a 1 or 2. However, back in April 2002, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake centered in Plattsburgh, New York caused some damage and was felt here in western Massachusetts. Over the years there have been a number of minor earthquakes that have occurred here in New England.