Earthquakes are called as the shaking of the earth?s surface that caused by the earth?s rocky outer layer and it occurs because of the energy stored within the earth. It is usually due to the strain within the rocks that is suddenly released. The damage an earthquake causes depends on where it is and the time it is happening. The size of the earthquake will vary from small to large. Earthquakes can deform the ground and make buildings and other structures collapse, and also create tsunamis (which means large sea waves.) Every year there are several million small earthquakes and large too.
An earthquake happens when two plates rub together and when the plates travel in different directions and at different speeds. If one plate is slowly forced underneath the other then the pressure builds up until the plates rip apart. This process causes the ground to move which is called as an earthquake.
[tags]Richter Scale, Epicenter, Tectonic Plates[/tags]