Most major changes happen at or near plate boundaries. At these boundaries there are faults. Faults are cracks in Earth's crust where movement takes places.
How Faults Creates Earthquakes
1 Along the fault, rocks often bend and fold.
2 Sometimes they lock together and get stuck.
3 The plates strain against each other.
4 Over many years, stress builds up on the rocks.
5 Finally the rocks break.
6 The plates suddenly move into a new position.
7 This causes an earthquake.
As the crust shakes, it sends out shock waves of energy known as seismic waves. You can measure the strength of seismic waves with a seismograph.
How Faults Creates Earthquakes
1 Along the fault, rocks often bend and fold.
2 Sometimes they lock together and get stuck.
3 The plates strain against each other.
4 Over many years, stress builds up on the rocks.
5 Finally the rocks break.
6 The plates suddenly move into a new position.
7 This causes an earthquake.
As the crust shakes, it sends out shock waves of energy known as seismic waves. You can measure the strength of seismic waves with a seismograph.
Different Types of Faults
The movements of rocks along a fault is called faulting. During faulting the rocks crack into blocks, which continue to move. Each fault is caused by a different type of force applied in the area that is moving and the direction the blocks are moving. There are 3 main types of faults.
1. Faulting at Diverging Boundaries
2. Faulting at Converging Boundaries
3. Faulting at Sliding Boundaries