What Is the Cause of Earthquake?

The tectonic plates are always slowly moving, but they get stuck at their edges due to friction. When the stress on the edge overcomes the friction, there is an earthquake that releases energy in waves that travel through the earth’s crust and cause the shaking that we feel. Earthquakes are usually caused when underground rock suddenly breaks and there is rapid motion along a fault. This sudden release of energy causes the seismic waves that make the ground shake.

Earthquakes are caused by the sudden release of energy within some limited region of the rocks of the Earth. The energy can be released by elastic strain, gravity, chemical reactions, or even the motion of massive bodies.

These waves are the energy that travels through the ground as a consequence of the sudden release of stress from the rocks. Earthquake waves cause ground shaking and crustal fracturing. Ground shaking can lead to the destruction of infrastructure and secondary consequences such as liquefaction and landslides.

There are four different types of earthquakes: tectonic, volcanic, collapse and explosion. A tectonic earthquake is one that occurs when the earth’s crust breaks due to geological forces on rocks and adjoining plates that cause physical and chemical changes.

We cannot prevent natural earthquakes from occurring but we can significantly mitigate their effects by identifying hazards, building safer structures, and providing education on earthquake safety. By preparing for natural earthquakes we can also reduce the risk from human induced earthquakes.

Scientists believe we may be overdue for a large earthquake and through proactive risk reduction measures, we can prevent many deaths, injuries, and property damages from occurring when the next one strikes.

Keep in mind that this water is safe to drink, as long as the main water supply has not been contaminated. To avoid contamination, it is important to shut off the water main to the house right after a major earthquake or disaster, before water has been used.

Stay clear of buildings, power lines, streetlights, and anything that can fall on you. If driving, move out of traffic as quickly as possible and shut off the engine. Avoid bridges and overpasses, and anything that could fall onto your car, such as trees, light posts, powerlines, and signs. If in bed, stay there.

Drop, Cover, and Hold On in an Earthquake

If available, the safest place is under a strong table or desk. If no sturdy object is available, get next to an interior wall with no windows. Finally, HOLD ON to your shelter if you have one, as the temblor will likely involve great shaking.

The rainfall had a long duration, with 77.2% the epicenter rainfall and 81.5% of the seismic area rainfall lasting at least 2 days. The precipitation near the epicenter of strong earthquakes and over the seismic area was mainly light rain, although torrential or storm force rain was also seen.

Earthquakes occur along faults, which are fractures between blocks of rock that allow the blocks to move relative to one another. Faults are caused by the bumping and sliding that plates do and are more common near the edges of the plates.

The three main reasons are wastewater injection, hydraulic fracturing and enhanced oil recovery. Within the United States, each of these three activities has induced earthquakes to varying degrees in the past few years.

If you are trapped by falling items or a collapse, protect your mouth, nose, and eyes from dust. If you are bleeding, put pressure on the wound and elevate the injured part. Signal for help with your emergency whistle, a cell phone, or knock loudly on solid pieces of the building, three times every few minutes.

Featured Photo by Jose Antonio Gallego Vázquez on Unsplash