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What caused the ground to shake so strongly in earthquakes?
The tectonic plates are always slowly moving, but they get stuck at their edges due to friction. When the stress on the edge overcomes the friction, there is an earthquake that releases energy in waves that travel through the earth’s crust and cause the shaking that we feel.
What caused the Christchurch earthquake 2010?
The earthquake’s epicentre was located some 25 miles (40 km) west of Christchurch near the town of Darfield, and the focus was located about 6 miles (10 km) beneath the surface. It was caused by right-lateral movement along a previously unknown regional strike-slip fault in the western section of the Canterbury Plains.
What tectonic plates caused the Christchurch earthquake 2011?
New Zealand sits on top of the boundary between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates. The two plates slip past each other in the South Island, creating the Alpine Fault.
Where does the strongest shaking occur during an earthquake?
The point at the Earth’s surface directly above the focus is called the epicenter of the earthquake. At the epicenter, the strongest shaking occurs during an earthquake. Sometimes the ground surface breaks along the fault. Sometimes the movement is deep underground and the surface does not break.
What happens when the ground shakes?
Earthquakes are violent shaking from the planet’s surface, according to AccuWeather. They’re caused by movement from Earth’s outermost layer, the crust. That sudden release leads to an earthquake. The shaking begins at a central region called the epicenter and spreads far and wide.
What type of fault was the Christchurch earthquake?
The earthquake was a direct result of strike-slip faulting at the eastern end of the rupture zone of a strong magnitude 6.2 MW earthquake, which occurred on 22 February 2011 along the Port Hills Fault.
What is the shaking and trembling of the ground?
The term earthquake is used to describe any tremor of the Earth’s surface. They are called tectonic earthquakes and in order to understand their origin, it is necessary to first have a closer look at the structure of the Earth.
Why does the greatest shaking of the ground happens near earthquakes epicenter?
Earthquakes happen as large blocks of the Earth’s crust move suddenly past one another at a fault. At the epicenter, the strongest shaking occurs during an earthquake. Sometimes the ground surface breaks along the fault. Sometimes the movement is deep underground and the surface does not break.