What may cause an earthquake?

Answer 1

A earthquake is a natural disaster caused by plates moving against each other. There are transform faults which the earth crust rubs past each other. Mid ocean ridges and rift valleys which divergence takes place, and deep ocean trenches where convergence takes place. The biggest earthquakes happen at subduction zones though.

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. When the stress on the edge overcomes the friction, there is an earthquake that releases energy in waves that travel through the earth's crust and cause the shaking that we feel.

A more technical description is given below:

Earthquakes are tremors or vibrations in the Earth's crust that are caused by the build up or accumulation of pressure (more correctly termed stress).

This accumulation of stress causes the rocks that make up the crust to deform elastically. This is very similar to what happens when you squash or stretch a spring and causes a form of energy to be stored in the rocks of the crust - technically described as elastic potential energy.

When this stress gets to large, it exceeds the strength of the rocks in the crust and causes a brittle failure. Brittle failures are failures where fractures form through the material.

This sudden brittle failure causes all of the elastic potential energy to be released at one time in the form of seismic waves, just as if a spring or elastic band that was being stretched suddenly snapped.

These seismic waves cause the tremors that people feel on the surface and which can cause damage to buildings and other structures.

Answer 2

There are plates on the earth's surface that move on the lava. Some go by one another, and this causes friction, which then causes the earthquakes. Hope u lik. . . . . Can you please answer my question on contacting Emma Watson. It should be first on the list of unanswered Emma Watson questions

Answer 3

Earthquakes are caused by the release of stress in the crustal rocks.

When two tectonic plates collide, one will generally subduct below the other. In doing so, irregularities on one plate will grind against the other plate, and eventually give way. This can occur across the face of a plate, or along its edge.

Where two plates slide alongside each other, this will cause earthquakes by a similar mechanism to the above.

Volcanoes may also produce earthquakes, by the stresses they build up in the crust as they grow and bulge.

Quite major earthquakes are caused by the collapse of ocean floor sediments. This often causes a tsunami as well.

Answer 4

Its when the earths tectonic plates move into each over causing an earth quake

I think that's right correct me if im wrong

Found this on a web site this may help:

An Earthquake is a sudden tremor or movement of the earth's crust, which originates naturally at or below the surface. The word natural is important here, since it excludes shock waves caused by French nuclear tests, man made explosions and landslides caused by building work.

There are two main causes of earthquakes.

Firstly, they can be linked to explosive volcanic eruptions; they are in fact very common in areas of volcanic activity where they either proceed or accompany eruptions.

Secondly, they can be triggered by Tectonic activity associated with plate margins and faults. The majority of earthquakes world wide are of this type.

Answer 5

earthquakes are caused when o earth plates move together and collide which makes the part above have an earthquake.

Answer 6

stress between tectonic plates

Answer 7

Vulcanicity

Answer 8

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