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Ok, so these tectonic plates are chillin on top of the mantle, floating on the magma(crust's rock material less dense), what next?

2007-05-30 19:31:10 · 11 answers · asked by james b 6 in Science & Mathematics Earth Sciences & Geology

i mean the VERY FIRST thing. like i hear something about the plates getting stuck...
Deep in theCrust, the plates will get"stuck" together as they slide past,but the magma below continues to flow,pulling on the plates. Pressure builds up, becoming stronger and stronger.Then the part that is stuck "snaps," and the plates move with the magma.
OR locked portions?:stresses build up along
locked portions of the crust where earthquake faults are..

2007-05-30 19:44:24 · update #1

11 answers

An earthquake is the vibration, sometimes violent, of the Earth's surface that follows a release of energy in the Earth's crust. This energy can be generated by a sudden dislocation of segments of the crust, by a volcanic eruption, or event by manmade explosions. Most destructive quakes, however, are caused by dislocations of the crust. The crust may first bend and then, when the stress exceeds the strength of the rocks, break and "snap" to a new position. In the process of breaking, vibrations called "seismic waves" are generated. These waves travel outward from the source of the earthquake along the surface and through the Earth at varying speeds depending on the material through which they move. Some of the vibrations are of high enough frequency to be audible, while others are of very low frequency. These vibrations cause the entire planet to quiver or ring like a bell or tuning fork.

2007-05-30 19:33:40 · answer #1 · answered by claire 5 · 0 0

Earthquakes let you know the earth is on the move. There are seven major plates of crust that float on the surface of the earth. these plates move and they don't always just slide. Sometimes they get stuck on each other and build up pressure behind where they stick. Eventually they "pop" away from each other where they were sticking. That "popping" sends out energy in waves and shakes up everything around the incident. That shaking is what we experience as earthquakes

2007-05-31 02:38:10 · answer #2 · answered by JoJoVincent 2 · 0 0

if you drop a stone in a calm water surface, you will see waves or ripples right? earthquake works that way. the stone is the tectonic plates. the ripple effect is the earthquake.

2007-05-31 02:44:20 · answer #3 · answered by i a 4 · 0 0

One of the strongest earthquakes in US history was in new madrid in 1811-1812. It was felt in many usa cities like california, Illinois, washington. New madrid is in missouri.

I collected some very helpful websites for you to check. It's from serious and trustable sites. My earth science professor says to stay away from Wikipedia because is not a good site for geology so please check these one out. You'll find exactly what you are looking for.

The Cause of Earthquakes
http://www.seismo.unr.edu/ftp/pub/louie/class/100/plate-tectonics.html
http://scign.jpl.nasa.gov/learn/eq4.htm

Earthquake Formation
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/earthq1/

Earthquake Scales
http://www.fema.gov/kids/intense.htm
http://scign.jpl.nasa.gov/learn/eq8.htm

Types of Faults
http://www.tinynet.com/faults.html

Earthquake Effect
http://giseis.alaska.edu/input/affiliated/lahr/taurho/eqeffects/introduction.html
http://www.fema.gov/kids/tsunami.htm

Earthquakes FAQ
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/faq//

Earthquakes Vovabulary
http://giseis.alaska.edu/input/affiliated/lahr/taurho/eqeffects/vocabulary.html

How to Protect Yourself
http://www.disastercenter.com/guide/earth.html
http://www.ceri.memphis.edu/public/survival.shtml
http://www.abag.ca.gov/bayarea/eqmaps/traffic/index.html

2007-05-31 03:37:41 · answer #4 · answered by Rrrr 3 · 0 0

Visit my slide show to know more on earthquakes and its behaviors. I am the Indian who alerted 2 hours before Tsunami struck our coast.
My Community in Orkut
http://www.orkut.com/Community.aspx?cmm=26068261
Presentation slides
http://asia.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/quake

2007-05-31 08:26:11 · answer #5 · answered by A.Ganapathy India 7 · 0 0

They collide together and grind against eachother. Sometimes buckling underneath and creating tension until one of them snaps. That was the case just before the big Tsunami a couple years back.

2007-05-31 02:34:19 · answer #6 · answered by Mickey Mouse Spears 7 · 0 1

d tectonic plates wen move apart 4m each other..v feel an earthquake

2007-05-31 02:39:14 · answer #7 · answered by Saloni 2 · 0 0

The plates collide pretty much

2007-05-31 02:34:15 · answer #8 · answered by Erica j 3 · 0 1

Change, it is the only known constant in the Universe, it happens and then the quake happens.

2007-05-31 02:39:48 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Check this link/ It should answer your question fully

2007-05-31 02:34:01 · answer #10 · answered by Juggalo Family 2 · 0 0

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