As a fault rupture moves along or up the fault, rock masses are ejected in opposite directions and

consequently spring back to a less stressed position. At any given spot, this movement may occur in
irregular increments rather than all at once, giving birth to the vibrations that travel as seismic waves.
Such irregular features of fault rupture are now physically and theoretically included in earthquake source
models. Asperities are roughnesses along the fault, while fault barriers are sites where the rupture slows
or stops. Fault rupture begins at the earthquake focus, which is often 5-15 km beneath the surface. The

Natural forces
Earthquakes are caused by the sudden release of energy within some limited region of the rocks of
the Earth. The energy can be released by elastic strain, gravity, chemical reactions, or even the motion of
massive bodies. Of all these the release of elastic strain is the most important cause, because this form of
energy is the only kind that can be stored in sufficient quantity in the Earth to produce major disturbances.
Earthquakes associated with this type of energy release are called tectonic earthquakes.

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