Hundreds of earthquakes happen every day around the globe and hundreds of thousands occur worldwide every year. When it comes to natural events, earthquakes occur relatively frequently, yet people are sometimes mystified when earthquakes hit close to home, are felt or leave noticeable damage. The Big One: The Odds of Large and Great Earthquakes Large earthquakes (those of a magnitude of 6.0 or greater) comprise a small percentage of the total number of earthquakes that take place every year, which is why earthquakes only occasionally capture the attention of the general public. Nonetheless, thousands of earthquakes take place every year,…