The National Earthquake Information Centre finds about 20,000 earthquakes around the world every year. That’s about 55 quakes every day. Some think there might be even more than that.
The U.S. Geological Survey says that there are about 500,000 earthquakes that can be found every year. Of those, 100,000 can be felt and 100 cause damage.
You may have learned about earthquakes in science class or seen how bad they can be on the news. But an earthquake is more than just the Earth moving. Find out what makes earthquakes happen by reading on.
What does a quake mean?
The U.S. Geological Survey says that an earthquake happens when two or more pieces of the Earth’s crust move past each other. When these blocks move, they cause an earthquake, which is a very strong shaking action.
The epicentre is where earthquakes start below the top of the Earth. National Geographic says that they can happen without notice and can cause other natural disasters like fires, tsunamis, earthquakes, and avalanches.
You can tell how big an earthquake is by measuring its magnitude. The earthquake gets bigger and stronger as the number goes up.
Different kinds of earthquakes
The United Nations says there are four types of earthquakes:
- tectonic
- volcanic.
- Collapse Earthquakes
- Explosions Earthquakes
What makes earthquakes happen?
The Earth is made up of four layers: the crust, the mantle, the inner core, and the outer core. There is another area around the Earth’s surface called the “lithosphere,” which is made up of the crust and the top of the mantle.
The USGS says that the lithosphere is not a single piece but rather a puzzle or a collection of pieces. These pieces of the lithosphere don’t stay in one place and move slowly. The name for these is “tectonic plates.”
The tectonic plates sometimes bump or crash into each other as they move and change past each other. This puts force on the sides of the plates. When there is too much stress, cracks appear, which are known as “faults.” This line where these flaws move away from each other is known as the “fault line.”
When there is too much pressure between the fault lines, energy is quickly released. This sets off earthquake waves that cause a earthquake.
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