Earthquakes occur due to tectonic plate movements and pressure release, causing seismic waves that shake the Earth’s surface.
Check why earthquakes occur, their causes, types of plate movements, measurement scales, and key facts for better awareness.
Earthquakes are one of the strongest natural disasters that occur on Earth. Earthquakes begin to shake cities within seconds, while they cause building destruction and disrupting daily life. The sudden nature of earthquakes creates an impression that they occur without any possibility of prediction.
Earthquakes occur when the Earth’s surface experiences sudden shaking because energy from the planet's interior is released. The phenomenon can occur without any alert and it has the potential to destroy everything. Our understanding of earthquake causes enables us to remain ready for potential threats, which helps us reduce danger.
The Earth's outermost layer, which scientists refer to as the crust, consists of enormous sections that geologists call tectonic plates. These plates move continuously through space even though their movement occurs at extremely slow speeds. The tectonic plates generate pressure when they interact with each other through collision, sliding, or separation at fault lines, which are cracks existing in the Earth's crust. The system transforms stress into energy, which it releases as a sudden reaction. Seismic waves carry this energy, which produces ground vibrations.
There are three main types of plate boundaries:
The Pacific "Ring of Fire," which functions as an active seismic area, contains all major earthquake zones that exist along these boundaries.
The focus or hypocenter serves as the starting point for an earthquake that occurs inside the Earth. The point directly above it on the surface is known as the epicenter. People experience stronger shaking effects when they stay closer to the epicenter.
Seismologists employ the Richter scale and moment magnitude scale (Mw) to measure earthquake activity. The scales determine the total energy that gets discharged during the earthquake.
Earthquakes occur due to tectonic plate movements and the sudden release of built-up pressure. While they cannot be prevented, understanding their causes helps scientists improve early warning systems and disaster preparedness, ultimately saving lives.
