Usually all earthquakes happen the same, but the way an earthquake actually occurs is such a spectacular process that everyone should get to know. They are created by many active fault zones within the Earth (Fronabarger). Most earthquakes are made along faults, tectonic plate boundary zones, or even along mid-oceanic ridges (Pidwirny). Small earthquakes can be caused by volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear experiments (Science Daily). Sun and moon cause tremors by creating tides in Earth 's crust (Live Science Staff). When plates squeeze or stretch, huge rocks shift making faults and causing earthquakes ("Earthquakes"). Faults are where rocks slide past each other and cause a crack ("Earthquakes"). Faults have been the result
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Plate tectonics collide, break apart, and grind against each other; moving Earth 's surface ("Earthquakes"). Rock on one side will shift up, down, or sideways, as the one on the other side moves the opposite way (Thompson 13). It then creates an area with many faults called a fault zone (Thompson 13). The bigger the faults are, the greater the chance an earthquake will occur (Thompson 13). As tectonic plates grind against each other, they build up pressure, causing stress (Thompson 15). Stress on Earth is so great that they need a way to release all the pressure (Thompson 15). Stand-up energy will be released at the weakest point of Earth 's crust, which is on a fault (Thompson 15). The bursts of energy cause a section of the fault to break loose and the two halves bounce past each other (Thompson 16). The release of this burst of energy comes in waves of motion called seismic waves (Thompson 16). These waves start from the center of the earthquake called the epicenter (Thompson 17). The shock waves travel upward and outward in a circular motion extremely fast (Thompson 17). They cover a distance of a hundred miles in just a few short seconds (Thompson17). People are able to sense these waves from hundreds of miles of the epicenter (Thompson 17). Seismic waves cause Earth to vibrate violently, which is what is felt on Earth 's surface (Thompson
Plate tectonics collide, break apart, and grind against each other; moving Earth 's surface ("Earthquakes"). Rock on one side will shift up, down, or sideways, as the one on the other side moves the opposite way (Thompson 13). It then creates an area with many faults called a fault zone (Thompson 13). The bigger the faults are, the greater the chance an earthquake will occur (Thompson 13). As tectonic plates grind against each other, they build up pressure, causing stress (Thompson 15). Stress on Earth is so great that they need a way to release all the pressure (Thompson 15). Stand-up energy will be released at the weakest point of Earth 's crust, which is on a fault (Thompson 15). The bursts of energy cause a section of the fault to break loose and the two halves bounce past each other (Thompson 16). The release of this burst of energy comes in waves of motion called seismic waves (Thompson 16). These waves start from the center of the earthquake called the epicenter (Thompson 17). The shock waves travel upward and outward in a circular motion extremely fast (Thompson 17). They cover a distance of a hundred miles in just a few short seconds (Thompson17). People are able to sense these waves from hundreds of miles of the epicenter (Thompson 17). Seismic waves cause Earth to vibrate violently, which is what is felt on Earth 's surface (Thompson