Destructive earthquakes

Destructive earthquakes

Did you know Earthquakes can cause landslides,

which can even cause tsunamis? Tectonic plates are

one of the things that cause earthquakes.Tectonic plates move

as slow as your toenail grows, but that doesn’t mean that

they aren’t dangerous.

What are the parts of an earthquake?

Tectonic plates: Massive rocks that make up the outer layer

of the earth's surface, and whose movement triggers earthquakes.

Seismic waves: Seismic waves are waves that transmit

the energy released by an earthquake.

Fault: A fracture in the rocks that make up the

earth’s crust.

Focus(Hypocenter): The point within the

earthquake rupture starts.

Epicenter: The point at the center at the earth

directly above the focus.

How does an earthquake happen?

The top layer of the earth is called the crust.

The crust is broken into pieces, Tectonic plates. The tectonic

plates are always moving but very, very slowly. Sometimes they move

against each other and in some places they move away from each other.

All this movement creates pressure underground.

The pressure builds up. Huge chunks of rock start to break.

An enormous amount of energy is released. Some of this

energy  is in the form of shockwaves.

Maori connection

Ruaumoko, the son of rangi and and earth mother papatuanuku,

is though responsible for all the stirrings beneath the earth.

The rumblings of earthquakes the molten hiss of volcanoes and the
inevitable rolling change of the seasons. According to the maori

dictionary the definite meaning of ruaumoko is earthquake. But

Interestingly, if we deconstruct the word, the definition of ru

is shake, one translation of au is smoke and moko is lizard.
Fire breathing beast!

Conclusion

Even though tectonic plates move as slow as

your toenail grows, they can be extremely dangerous. It is very important to have this knowledge because someday

it may save your life!

By Willow

Bibliography

Earthquakes       Ann Weil

www.geo.mtu.edu/upreis/why.html