what are the factors affecting earthquake?

Answer 1

Strength of the shock
Elasticity of the ground
Distance from epicenter

Answer 2

There are many factors that influence earthquakes. Quakes can even be *created* through high-pressure pumping into deep wells; deep well injection of waste in 1962 (Rocky Flats, CO) led to swarms of small quakes. Presumably the high pressure liquids allowed plates that normally "stick" together to slide, causing rupture and energy release.

Intensity is related to many factors, including the depth of the rupture and how much of the fault "slips," or slides. The San Andreas fault slipped an estimated 29 feet when it ruptured in 1857. Whether this slippage is horizontal or vertical can influence the energy release as well. Lastly, the preceived energy release differs based on what the observer is standing on. Loose, uncompacted fill, for example, is far worse than bedrock. Some areas, like Mexico City (which is a dried lakebed), may amplify the effect, causing great damage.

Answer 3

The earth is made up of layers. On the inside, the earth is made up of searing hot liquid magma and on the outside is the cold hard crust at the surface. Because the crust is essentially floating on a layer of molten rock called the mantle, it is given to shifting constantly, and is broken up into what are called tectonic plates. These huge "plates" rub against each other along the cracks between them which are called "faults" or "faultlines". Now, because these plates are huge and shift very slowly, we usually don't notice the movement, but where the plates edges are pushed together tightly( which is everywhere) they have trouble moving until enough pressure builds up and they move suddenly and violently, sending shockwaves through the ground which are sometimes not felt, but other times destroy whole buildings. The sudden, violent shift and the shockwaves from it are what we call an earthquake.

Answer 4

Plate tectonics. Earthquakes happens when continental plates slide against or under each other.

Answer 5

earthquakes can occur due to various reasons:

volcanic erupptions.....
plates sliding away or breaking away
if the earth is really heated up