Why Do Earthquakes Occur?

One of the subfields of seismology is to study how and why earthquakes occur. Predicting and projecting when, how, and why earthquakes occur can save millions of lives, while also saving billions in public taxpayer funds to rebuild after the damage. There are several types of gravitational forces that occur within the earth and cause earthquakes, such as plate tectonics and seafloor spreading. Understanding these actions can allow us to have better understanding of the causation of earthquakes. Plate tectonics is the theory that states Earth’s outer shell is divided into several plates that glide over the rocky inner layer of Earth called the mantle. The theory began in the 1950s, as it became the modernized version of continental drift, which had been put forth by Alfred Wegener. The entire earth rests on these plates, as shown by the picture to the left, and the constant friction between is the primary cause of earthquakes, volcanoes, oceanic trenches, mountain range formation, and many other geologic phenomenons. How these deformations manifest themselves on the earth depends on how the interaction of two plates occurs at their boundaries. Each type of plate movement, divergent, lateral and convergent, generates distinct geologic processes and landforms.
At divergent boundaries, two oceanic plates separate, …show more content…
However, each individual type of plate movement is a concern for scientists and should be for the public at large as well. Plate tectonics affect the very land we walk and live on, and can cause billions of dollars in damage. It also creates new land among the ocean floor and thus makes the surface of the Earth much greater. Although scientific efforts have been made to attempt to predict and project when earthquakes can occur, they are still nowhere near close enough to find an answer and thus help avoid potential