Proxius and sarapuk, I'm not saying they feared for their lives because they felt the tremors of an earthquake. What they feared was an avalanche caused by the earthquake, a not uncommon occurrence in some mountain regions. Although an avalanche didn't occur, the Dyatlov group "believed" that it could occur. Perception becomes reality when you're on a mountain slope at night in snow and wind. And perhaps there was no earthquake, but maybe the Soviet military making a bombing run. Such tremendous blasts could trigger an avalanche. Or maybe they heard sounds carried on the wind of an avalanche nearby. I feel that over the years layers of complexity have been placed on an event that wasn't complex at all. Nine young people camped in a wide-open, vulnerable spot in the freezing cold and snow, and then a misperception.