Earthquake is a sudden violent shaking of the ground, typically causing great destruction, as a

result of movements within the earth's crust or volcanic action.

Earthquakes are usually caused when rock underground suddenly breaks along a fault. This sudden
release of energy causes the seismic waves that make the ground shake. When two blocks of rock or
two plates are rubbing against each other, they stick a little. They don't just slide smoothly; the rocks
catch on each other. The rocks are still pushing against each other, but not moving. After a while, the
rocks break because of all the pressure that's built up. When the rocks break, the earthquake occurs.
During the earthquake and afterward, the plates or blocks of rock start moving, and they continue to
move until they get stuck again. The spot underground where the rock breaks is called the focus of the
earthquake. The place right above the focus (on top of the ground) is called the epicenter of the
earthquake.

No part of Earth's surface is free from earthquakes, but some regions experience them more frequently. They are
most common at tectonic plate boundaries where different plates meet. The largest events usually happen where two
plates are colliding, or colliding and sliding past one another, particularly around the edge of the Pacific Plate, for
example in New Zealand, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Japan and the Americas, and in
Indonesia, where the Indo-Australian Plate collides with the Eurasian Plate. The depths of focus in these collision
zones can range from 0-700km.

There are on average 80 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or more in Australia each year.
Adelaide has the highest earthquake hazard of any Australian capital. It has experienced more
medium-sized earthquakes in the past 50 years than any capital because South Australia is
being slowly squeezed in an east-west direction by about 0.1mm/yr.

The energy released is often described in terms of "magnitude," a logarithmic

scale used to describe how energetic an earthquake was; a quake of
magnitude 2 is hardly noticeable without special monitoring equipment, while
quakes over magnitude 8 may actually cause the ground to visibly heave and
roll. Since the scale is logarithmic, a magnitude 8 quake is not four times more
energetic than a magnitude 2 quake, but one billion times more energetic!
Fluid Injection Can Cause Earthquakes

Injecting fluid underground can induce earthquakes, a fact that was established decades ago by
USGS scientists. This process increases the fluid pressure within fault zones, essentially loosening
the fault zones and making them more likely to fail in an earthquake. When injected with fluids, even
faults that have not moved in historical times can be made to slip and cause an earthquake if
conditions underground are appropriate.

Wastewater Injection

Water that is salty or polluted by chemicals needs to be disposed of in a manner that prevents it from
contaminating freshwater sources. It is usually most economical to isolate and inject it into deep underground
wells, below any aquifers that provide drinking water. This process is known as wastewater injection.
Wastewater injection wells typically operate for years or decades.

Hydraulic Fracturing

Hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as fracking, injects water at high pressures to crack rock formations,
allowing for easier fluid flow and more complete oil and gas extraction. While the hydraulic fracturing process
itself is often accompanied by extremely small “microearthquakes,” they are mostly too small to be felt.
Hydraulic fracturing operations typically last a few hours, with the biggest operations extending for up to a few
days.

Enhanced Oil Recovery

Enhanced oil recovery involves the injection of water, steam or carbon dioxide into the formation from which oil
and gas are extracted. These operations try to sweep the oil and gas towards wells that are extracting them.
Enhanced oil recovery wells usually operate for years or decades and can produce large volumes of
wastewater.