How earth quakes are caused
Uploaded by CaseyP on Jun 10, 2017
How Earthquakes Are Caused
Author’s name
Institutional affiliation
How Earthquakes Are Caused
An earthquake is the shaking of the surface of the earth when so much energy is submitted to the ground. According to (Pakiser & Shedlock, 2014), “the earth is made up of four major layers including crust, mantle, outer core and, the inner core while the crust and the upper part of the mantle make up a thin layer on the surface of the earth consisting of many pieces, tectonic plates”. On the other hand, the edges of these plates are referred to as plate boundaries. The tectonic plates are however in a constant motion towards, past or away from each other. As part of tectonics, continents also move. The movement of tectonic plates may be so large to cause the rock to break thus causing an earthquake.
Tectonic plates slip on a surface called the fault. However, most earthquakes occur on edge (plate boundaries) of the tectonic plates, and especially when a plate moves under another (Pakiser & Shedlock, 2014). This explains why some regions such as Japan, New Zealand, Canada, United States of America, and Papua New Guinea experience more earthquakes than other regions that are far from the edges of the plates. However, no part of the earth is free from earthquakes.
Impacts and conclusion
Earthquakes can be intense to destroy roads and buildings. On the other hand, other earthquakes have less energy to be felt on the surface of the earth and are rarely noticed. For instance, human-induced earthquakes are usually of less magnitude to cause the rock to break. A human-induced earthquake can be achieved by pumping water waste into faults planes in deep disposal wells. However, although seismologists can detect them, the intensity of human-induced earthquakes is usually less than that of natural earthquakes.
Reference
Pakiser, L., & Shedlock, K. M. (2014). Earthquakes (Illustrations). New York: U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents.