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Earthquakes
An earthquake is the rapid shaking of the Earth's surface that follows the sudden release of energy within the Earth. Most commonly, earthquakes are due to sudden movements along the edges of tectonic plates, the vast sections of rock that make up the Earth's crust and upper mantle. There are roughly 50 of these plates, which are slowly moving against one another. Over millions of years, these movements cause stresses and distortions that lead to the building of mountains and drifting apart of the continents. Under the influence of these forces, rocks gradually bend or stretch. When the stress is greater than the strength of the rocks, they break. The stress is released when the rocks move suddenly along these breaks or faults into a new position. The movement creates vibrations or seismic waves. It is these vibrations that one feels as an earthquake when they reach the surface of the Earth.
Earthquakes Map(s)
