How are Earthquakes caused?

Earthquakes are
caused when the plates along the surface of the
earth squeeze or stretch, huge rocks form at their
edges and the rocks shift with force, causing an
earthquake.
Compare 2004 Sumatra Earthquake and the
2011 Japan Earthquake:
The 2004 tsunami or formally known as 2004
Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami occurred on
December 26, 2004 with Sumatra, Indonesia as the
center of the earthquake. Based from the survey
conducted by the United States Geological Agency
(USGS), there are more than 200,000 deaths
recorded and almost a quarter of it is coming from
Indonesia. Other countries affected are: Maldives,
Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Somalia, India,
Myanmar and Seychelles.
The 2011 tsunami was caused by a magnitude 9.0
earthquake in Sendai, Japan on March 11, 2011.
The center of the earthquake that causes the great
tsunami is in Tohoku which is Japans largest island.
The Police in Japan have confirmed the public that
the deaths brought by the tsunami and the
earthquake is more than 2,000 and still 3,000 plus
individuals that are missing as of this writing.
Why are earthquakes likely to occur in some
areas than others? Earthquakes most commonly

occur near the boundaries between tectonic plates.

As such areas near these boundaries will have lots
of earthquakes and areas a long way from these
boundaries will be much less likely to experience
earthquakes.
Explain how seismologists are able to make
predictions about the likelihood of an
earthquake? Seismologists can attempt to
measure the movement of the crust around a fault
zone to estimate the total strain that has
accumulated. This measurement is often made
using high precision GPS to measure relative
positions of surface features around the fault zone.
They may also use terrestrial laser scanning
equipment which can measure changes in the
ground shape (recording deformation) or by using a
special form of radar and a technique called
synthetic aperture radar. This process essentially
involves the use of a radar to create a series of
very accurate relief maps of the ground surface
over time and then to compare the maps to create
a final plot showing the changes between them
which is a record of the land surface deformation.

What can cause a volcano to erupt and list

the substances that emerge from a volcanic
crater during an eruption?
Magma rises through cracks or weaknesses in the
Earth's crust. When this pressure is released, e.g.
as a result of plate movement, magma explodes to
the surface causing a volcanic eruption. The lava
from the eruption cools to form new crust. Over
time, after several eruptions, the rock builds up
and a volcano forms. The substances that emerge
from a volcanic crater during an eruption are:
Pyroclastic materials. Volcanic ash, lava and molten
rock.
Difference between a dormant volcano and
extinct volcano? The difference between a
dormant volcano and an extinct volcano are a
dormant volcano is an active volcano that is not
erupting, but supposed to erupt again. An extinct
volcano has not had an eruption for at least 10,000
years and is not expected to erupt again in a
comparable time scale of the future.