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Why Do Earthquakes Occur?

 

🌍 Why Do Earthquakes Occur?


An earthquake happens when there is a sudden release of energy in the Earth’s crust, causing the ground to shake. This usually occurs due to movement of tectonic plates.

🔑 Main Reasons for Earthquakes:

  1. Tectonic Plate Movement (most common)

    • The Earth's crust is divided into huge pieces called tectonic plates.

    • These plates are constantly moving, and where they meet, they may collide, slide, or pull apart.

    • When stress builds up and becomes too much, the rocks suddenly break — this causes an earthquake.

  2. Fault Lines

    • A fault is a crack in the Earth's crust.

    • Most earthquakes occur along faults where plates grind against each other.

  3. Volcanic Activity

    • Earthquakes can also occur when magma pushes through the crust near volcanoes.

    • These are called volcanic earthquakes.

  4. Human Activity (man-made or induced earthquakes)

    • Deep mining, reservoir-induced seismicity (from large dams), and even oil and gas extraction (fracking) can cause small earthquakes.

🔁 Simple Analogy:

Imagine pressing your hands together and sliding them sideways. The pressure builds until suddenly they slip — that sudden slip is like an earthquake.