Sunday, November 19, 2006

Earthquake

An earthquake is a phenomenon that consequences from and is powered by the sudden release of stored energy that radiates seismic waves. At the Earth's surface, earthquakes may manifest themselves by a shaking or displacement of the ground and occasionally tsunamis, which may lead to loss of life and destruction of property.

Earthquakes may happen naturally or as a result of human activities. In its most generic sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismic event whether a natural phenomenon or an event caused by humans that generates seismic waves.

Most naturally occurring earthquakes are linked to the tectonic nature of the Earth. Such earthquakes are called tectonic earthquakes. The Earth's lithosphere is a patch work of plates in slow but stable motion caused by the heat in the Earth's mantle and core. Plate boundaries glide past each other, creating frictional stress. When the frictional stress exceeds a critical value, called local strength, a sudden failure occurs.

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