Wondering why northern Italy got hit twice in short order with earthquakes? I asked Jeffrey Park, coauthor of Dynamic Earth (Read it. It's about the earth you live on. The one we return to, call mother, mine, fight over, and, sadly, the one that puts the terror in terroir). He's a Yale seismologist who works on the seismology of northern Italy. Here’s what he had to say. A warning, there’s strong earth science language in this report, a suggestion that plates are getting stuffed in the mantle, plus a reference to a quake in the 1500s. Reader access to a geological dictionary is advised. ~ Steph

The earthquakes both hit very close to Bologna, where I spent a year's sabbatical while collecting seismic data. I once spent a night in Carpi, where the cathedral roof fell in.

As a result of the disasterous earthquake that hit Christchurch, New Zealand last September, Sarah and Martin Aspinwall lost their beloved cheese store Canterbury Cheesemongers, their café and bakery.

Although the store itself was still standing after the quake, the building was deemed unsafe and demolished shortly thereafter. Despite this huge setback, Sarah and Martin relocated their business to a new premises, only to be hit again two weeks after they opened in February. Fortunately, there was less damage this time around and they are still open for business.