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Earthquake | Definition, Causes, Effects, & Facts | Britannica
Feb 21, 2025 · Earthquake, any sudden shaking of the ground caused by the passage of seismic waves through Earth’s rocks. Earthquakes occur most often along geologic faults, narrow zones where rock masses move in relation to one another.
Earthquake - Wikipedia
In its most general sense, an earthquake is any seismic event—whether natural or caused by humans—that generates seismic waves. Earthquakes are caused mostly by the rupture of geological faults but also by other events such as volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, fracking and nuclear tests.
EARTHQUAKE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of EARTHQUAKE is a shaking or trembling of the earth that is volcanic or tectonic in origin. How to use earthquake in a sentence.
What is an earthquake and what causes them to happen?
What is an earthquake and what causes them to happen? An earthquake is caused by a sudden slip on a fault. The tectonic plates are always slowly moving, but they get stuck at their edges due to friction.
The Science of Earthquakes | U.S. Geological Survey - USGS.gov
An earthquake is what happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another. The surface where they slip is called the fault or fault plane. The location below the earth’s surface where the earthquake starts is called the hypocenter, and the location directly above it on the surface of the earth is called the epicenter.
EARTHQUAKE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
EARTHQUAKE definition: 1. a sudden violent movement of the earth's surface, sometimes causing great damage: 2. a sudden…. Learn more.
What Is an Earthquake? | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for …
Jan 14, 2025 · An earthquake is an intense shaking of Earth’s surface. The shaking is caused by movements in Earth’s outermost layer. Why Do Earthquakes Happen? Although the Earth looks like a pretty solid place from the surface, it’s actually extremely active just below the surface.
Introduction to Earthquake
2 days ago · What is an earthquake? An earthquake is a weak to violent shaking of the ground produced by the sudden movement of rock materials below the earth’s surface. The earthquakes originate in tectonic plate boundary.
Earthquakes: Definitions, Causes, Effect, Measurement - Geology …
Nov 28, 2023 · Earthquakes are natural geological phenomena that occur when there is a sudden release of energy in the Earth’s crust, resulting in seismic waves. These waves cause the ground to shake, often leading to the displacement of the Earth’s surface.
Earthquake – Definition, Causes, Effects, Protection
Nov 22, 2022 · Earthquake is a natural phenomenon that manifests itself as a sudden shaking or trembling of the earth that lasts just a few seconds. It occurs as a result of disruption deep within the earth’s crust or as a result of disturbances within the earth’s crust. Earthquakes often occur deep inside the earth, but they are not visible from the surface.