Platonic tectonics

Before scientific inquiry revealed how earthquakes happen, there were many traditional explanations. In ancient Japan, it was believed that earthquakes were caused by a giant mischievous catfish flipping around in the center of the earth. In Mongolia, it was a frog, which carried the earth around and twitched now and then. The Gabrielino Indians of southern California believed that three turtles carried the earth, and when they argued and went their separate ways, the land shivered.