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Because the tectonic plates are continually moving, and thus building up the energy required for an earthquake.

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15y ago

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What are the three types of earhquakes?

The three types of earthquakes are tectonic earthquakes, volcanic earthquakes, and collapse earthquakes. Tectonic earthquakes are the most common and are caused by the movement of earth's plates. Volcanic earthquakes occur in association with volcanic activity, while collapse earthquakes happen in underground mines and caverns.


Which is the most common tectonic or volcanic earthquakes?

Tectonic earthquakes are more common than volcanic earthquakes. Tectonic earthquakes are caused by the shifting and breaking of rocks in the Earth's crust along tectonic plate boundaries, whereas volcanic earthquakes are associated with volcanic activity and occur as magma moves beneath the surface.


How common are earthquakes?

Earthquakes occur at the location where two tectonic plates meet - the point of the primary release of energy is called the "epicenter". The energy spreads out radially from the epicenter, causing the quake to "hit" nearby towns with an intensity that reduces with distance from the epicenter. As the majority of plate boundaries are in the middle of oceans, the energy released is attenuated so much by the time it reaches populated areas that very few if any people know they happened at all; so earthquakes are far more common than you might believe. It is estimated that over four thousand magnitude-two or higher occur worldwide every day.


In what area of the world are Earthquakes most common?

Earthquakes are most common where plates of the crusts collide or separate and especially in the Pacific ring of fire. The pacific ring of fire is a chain of volcanoes and earthquakes along the edges of the Pacific ocean.


Why are large earthquakes less common than small earthquakes?

because it takes lots of years for the stress to build up and the earthquake to be hugeNekoChibi-chan said: Earthquakes are caused by tectonic plates in the earth's crust. When 2 of the plates meet, they collide and slide, this causes movement in the ground. The plates don't shift very much very often (It takes a long time for them to push on each other to make the earth shake intensively). Places where earthquakes often happen are most likely on a tectonic plate. It is not uncommon to have under water eruptions or earthquake'.