Earthquake

Earthquake is a sudden shaking of the earth’s surface that often causes a lot of
damage. It is the result of a sudden release of stored energy in the Earth’s crust that creates
seismic waves. Earthquakes may happen naturally or as a result of human activities. Smaller
earthquakes can also be caused by volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear
experiments.

At the Earth’s surface, earthquakes can be seen from the shaking or displacement of
the ground. Sometimes, they cause tsunamis, which may lead to loss of life and damage of
property. There are two types of earthquake that occurs naturally, they are tectonic and
volcanic earthquakes. Tectonic earthquakes are earthquakes that are caused by tectonic plates
getting stuck and putting a strain on the ground. The strain becomes so great that rocks give
way by breaking and sliding along fault planes.

Volcanic earthquakes are earthquakes which are caused by themovement of magma in

volcanoes. In volcanic regions earthquakes may be caused both by tectonic faults and by the
movement of magma in volcanoes. Such earthquakes can be an early warning of volcanic
eruptions

The size of an earthquake is usually reported using the Richter scale or a related
Moment scale. Earthquakes which are 3 on the Richter scale or lower are hard to notice.
Whereas, those which are 7 on the Richter scale causes serious damage over large areas.