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Several major earthquakes have shaken the world in the last two months, creating speculation that the earth is entering a new period in its earthquake cycle.

Earthquakes in the nations of Haiti and Chile on Tuesday, Jan. 12 and Saturday, Feb. 27, respectively, caused massive amounts of damage and over 1,000 combined casualties. In addition, a 6.0 earthquake hit Turkey on Monday, Mar. 8, killing 51 and injuring dozens.

The Chile quake also triggered a wave of concern as scientists feared that the quake would cause a sizeable tsunami that could cause significant damage to islands and mainland beaches as far away as Australia and Japan. However, no significant damage was reported in these countries as a result of the oceanic surge.

The Chile earthquake reportedly altered groundwater levels in Nebraska, according to scientists at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln.

Scientists checked a water well recorder near Aurora March 2 and found a spike in the water level chart corresponding to the Feb. 27 earthquake in Chile. Scientists also found another spike corresponding to the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti.

Earthquakes have not been limited to areas outside the North American continent.

On Friday, Feb. 19, a series of 18 small earthquakes shook the Riverside area. Small tremors could be felt on campus at California Baptist University. No damage was reported by Public Safety or any municipal public service.

The China-based Global Times reported that, despite appearances, the number of measured earthquakes that have shaken the earth is not significantly higher than previous years.

The recent quake brought about a wave of popular awareness regarding the need for charitable aid in impoverished and natural disaster-ravished nations.