What is earthquake Short answer?

An earthquake is an intense shaking of Earth's surface. The shaking is caused by movements in Earth's outermost layer.

Earthquakes are the result of sudden movement along faults within the Earth. The movement releases stored-up 'elastic strain' energy in the form of seismic waves, which propagate through the Earth and cause the ground surface to shake.

The tectonic plates are always slowly moving, but they get stuck at their edges due to friction. When the stress on the edge overcomes the friction, there is an earthquake that releases energy in waves that travel through the earth's crust and cause the shaking that we feel.

Earthquakes are caused by sudden tectonic movements in the Earth's crust. The main cause is that when tectonic plates, one rides over the other, causing orogeny collide (mountain building), earthquakes. The largest fault surfaces on Earth are formed due to boundaries between moving plates.

The primary effects of earthquakes are ground shaking, ground rupture, landslides, tsunamis, and liquefaction. Fires are probably the single most important secondary effect of earthquakes.

The effects from earthquakes include ground shaking, surface faulting, ground failure, and less commonly, tsunamis.

Some of the common impacts of earthquakes include structural damage to buildings, fires, damage to bridges and highways, initiation of slope failures, liquefaction, and tsunami.

We cannot prevent natural earthquakes from occurring but we can significantly mitigate their effects by identifying hazards, building safer structures, and providing education on earthquake safety. By preparing for natural earthquakes we can also reduce the risk from human induced earthquakes.

What to Do Before an Earthquake. Make sure you have a fire extinguisher, first aid kit, a battery-powered radio, a flashlight, and extra batteries at home. Learn first aid. Learn how to turn off the gas, water, and electricity.

An average of 3.5 million people are affected by earthquakes every year. Earthquakes usually cause severe damage to urban centres, resulting in the loss of life and damage to homes and other infrastructure. ... Earthquakes sometimes trigger tsunamis, landslides and occasionally volcanic activity.

A catastrophic earthquake could affect government at all levels, but especially at the local and state levels, by reducing future revenues, increasing current costs resulting from response activities, and increasing future costs resulting from recovery and reconstruction activities.

the Pacific Ocean

Over 80 per cent of large earthquakes occur around the edges of the Pacific Ocean, an area known as the 'Ring of Fire'; this where the Pacific plate is being subducted beneath the surrounding plates. The Ring of Fire is the most seismically and volcanically active zone in the world.

Pacific Ocean

The Ring of Fire includes the Pacific coasts of South America, North America and Kamchatka, and some islands in the western Pacific Ocean.

Scientists use the term magma for molten rock that is underground and lava for molten rock that breaks through the Earth's surface.

When the mantle rocks melt, the water dissolves into the magma. As the magma rises towards the surface and cools, pressure is reduced, crystals form and the water is released and emitted as vapour through volcanoes. With this mechanism, water from great depth can be degassed to the surface.

A volcano is formed when hot molten rock, ash and gases escape from an opening in the Earth's surface. The molten rock and ash solidify as they cool, forming the distinctive volcano shape shown here. As a volcano erupts, it spills lava that flows downslope.