What causes earthquakes?
(1 point)
Responses
Blocks of crust slide against one another, often at plate boundaries.
Blocks of crust slide against one another, often at plate boundaries.
Pressure builds up in the molten rock beneath Earth's crust and causes it to shake.
Pressure builds up in the molten rock beneath Earth's crust and causes it to shake.
Tectonic plates break apart into smaller plates, and the crumbling causes shaking.
Tectonic plates break apart into smaller plates, and the crumbling causes shaking.
Sudden motions in Earth's mantle cause the crust to shift.
All of the above statements are correct and can cause earthquakes. Earthquakes are typically caused by the movement and interaction of tectonic plates. This can occur when blocks of crust slide against each other at plate boundaries, when pressure builds up in molten rock beneath the Earth's crust and causes it to shake, when tectonic plates break apart into smaller plates causing crumbling and shaking, or when sudden motions in Earth's mantle cause the crust to shift.
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The correct answer is:
Pressure builds up in the molten rock beneath Earth's crust and causes it to shake.
The correct answer is: Blocks of crust slide against one another, often at plate boundaries.
Earthquakes are primarily caused by the movement and interaction of tectonic plates, which are large sections of the Earth's lithosphere (crust and upper part of the mantle) that float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere beneath them. These plates are constantly moving due to the slow convection currents in the asthenosphere.
At plate boundaries, different types of motions occur. One common type is called a transform boundary, where two plates slide past each other horizontally. This sliding motion can be slow and gradual, or it can be sudden and release a large amount of energy, causing an earthquake. An example of a well-known transform boundary is the San Andreas Fault in California.
Another type of boundary is a convergent boundary, where two plates collide with each other. In this case, if one plate is forced beneath the other into the underlying mantle (a process called subduction), immense pressure can build up. Eventually, this pressure overcomes the friction holding the plates together, causing them to slip and release energy as an earthquake. Subduction zones, like the one along the Pacific coast of South America, are notorious for producing powerful earthquakes.
The third type of boundary is a divergent boundary, where two plates move away from each other. This creates a gap that is filled with molten rock from the mantle, forming new crust. Sometimes, the crust can crack and break apart along these divergent boundaries, causing minor to moderate earthquakes.
Overall, earthquakes are a result of the movement and interaction of tectonic plates, whether it is sliding past each other, colliding, or separating.