An earthquake is caused by a sudden slip on a fault. The tectonic plates are always slowly moving, but they get stuck at their edges due to friction.

Dec 6, 2025 · Earthquakes produce four main types of seismic waves: two types, called body waves, move through the Earth’s interior, while the other two, known as surface waves, travel along the …

Sep 25, 2025 · What Is an Earthquake? An earthquake is an intense shaking of Earth’s surface. The shaking is caused by movements in Earth’s outermost layer. Why Do Earthquakes Happen? …

May 6, 2025 · Most earthquakes occur along geological faults, particularly near tectonic plate boundaries. They range in magnitude from barely perceptible tremors to devastating events capable …

Apr 1, 2025 · But what exactly causes these devastating events, and why do they happen? To answer these questions, we must explore the complex interactions of Earth’s internal structure, the forces …

Earthquakes are the result of sudden movement along faults within the Earth. The movement releases stored-up ‘elastic strain’ energy in the form of seismic waves, which propagate through the Earth and …

Earthquakes occur along tectonic plate boundaries and fault lines, where elastic deformations accumulate from rock friction. Seismic activity does not occur along the entire length of the fault.

Feb 10, 2025 · Discover interesting facts about how big earthquakes can get, why earthquakes happen, and why they're so hard to predict.

When the force of movement finally overcomes the friction, sections of the crust suddenly break or become displaced, releasing the pent-up pressure in the form of seismic waves. This is a naturally …

Causes of Earthquakes An earthquake is sudden ground movement caused by the sudden release of energy stored in rocks, called the elastic rebound theory. Earthquakes happen when so much stress …