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What is the causes of earthquakes

What Causes Earthquakes?


When the earth shakes due to the movements of plates below the
earths crust it is known as Earthquake. Earthquakes are natural
disasters, which kill thousands of people in an instant and can destroy
cities and countries- human habitation across miles. The vibration
during an earthquake has the potential to wreak havoc and
destruction, which is beyond imagination. The destruction is the
maximum near the epicenter, the place from where the vibrations
arise and spread. Of late there have been many such natural disasters,
which can be associated with earthquakes like the Tsunami that hit
the shores of India, Thailand and razed down buildings and
annihilated many lives. It seemed like Mother Nature was avenging
herself on us who have used all her endowments to the fullest extent
without caring to rejuvenate them. Here we would try to find out the
causes of earthquakes so that we can all contribute to the prevention
of such things in our own small ways. Individual awareness would
definitely lead to mass awareness.
Causes of earthquakes

If seen broadly we can say that earthquakes are


caused due to two major reasons. The first reason is
the eruption of volcanoes, which are sudden, and as
is known volcanoes are seat of inner disturbance and
can effect the plates which is the second cause of
earthquakes. Earthquakes are caused due to
disturbance in the movement of plates, which again
can be caused due to various reasons like under crust
waves or cracks in the plates.
Plate Tectonic Theory

The outer layer of the earth is divided into many sections known as plates,
which are floating on the molten magma beneath the earths crust. Now the
movement of these plates is determined by the convection current in the molten
magma. The heat makes these plates rise and vice versa. Therefore after
intervals there are plates that get submerged in the molten magma and there
plates that rise upwards and at times even new crust is formed from the molten
magma which in turn forms a new plate until it connects itself with the already
existing ones. At times these plates and can be pushed up to form mountains
and hills and the movement is so slow that it is really hard to comprehend that
there is any movement at all. The movement and the results come out to be
visible suddenly. Now these plates are the bases on which the continents stand
and when these plates move the continents also move. Most of the earthquakes
occur on the edges of the plates where a plate is under one or across. This
movement disrupts the balance and position of all plates, which leads to
tremors, which are called earthquakes.
Volcanic Eruptions

When volcanoes erupt it is because the molten magma under


the crust of the earth is under enormous pressure and to release
that pressure it looks for an opening and exerts pressure on the
earths crust and the plate in turn. A place, which is the seat of
an active volcano, is often prone to earthquakes as well because
the pressure that is exerted by the magma exceeds the limit
these plates move and that causes earthquakes. Earthquakes are
also caused after a volcanic eruption since the eruption also
leads to a disturbance in the position of plates, which either
move further or resettle and can result into severe or light
tremors

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