Why earthquakes occur

According to where in the world you live you will be more or less used to earthquakes. While some know the earthquakes for having experienced them on some occasion or even habitually, others only know about earthquakes by television news. We explain why earthquakes occur. Why earthquakes occur 1. Ho

Why earthquakes occur

1. How does an earthquake occur?The Earth's crust is formed by tectonic plates that move constantly although we do not notice it. However, there are places where these plates find some obstacle in their movement and when they collide is when the earthquake occurs, which can also be called an earthquake or earthquake. This is the tectonic earthquake, which is the most common, although there may also be a volcanic earthquake.

2. What is a fault? The key place where the earthquake occurs is the fault, which is a kind of crack in the earth's crust and where the tectonic plates end up colliding. There are active faults that have more risk of producing earthquakes and there are other inactive faults where seismic is seldom noticed. The most well-known fault is that of San Andrés in California (USA) where earthquakes are a common phenomenon.

3. How many earthquakes are there in the world? Although there may be more than 300,000 earthquakes in the world every year, only a few have enough intensity to be noticed. The consequences of earthquakes vary according to their intensity, becoming one of the most devastating natural phenomena. The magnitude of an earthquake is measured in the Scale Ritcher, which is what measures the energy that is released by the impact of the plates.

4. Why are there more earthquakes in some countries than in others? A large percentage of earthquakes occur in areas bathed by the Pacific, from Japan or Indonesia reaching the coast of the American continent. Not only California has a high risk of earthquakes, but also places like Mexico, Chile or Peru. Remember that an earthquake is not a phenomenon that can be prevented, but areas that are used to earthquakes tend to have protocols to protect people.

5. Can there be an earthquake in the sea? Yes. Many times earthquakes occur in some fault bathed by the sea. Its wave of expansion generates gigantic waves that are called tsunamis. When a tsunami reaches some coast, its consequences can be devastating.

Laura Vélez. Editor of Guiainfantil.com