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    Earthquakes

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    Rohin Amit Wadhwa
    The Earth's interior is composed of several layers including the crust, mantle, and core. The crust and upper mantle form tectonic plates that slowly move due to convection currents in the underlying asthenosphere. There are three types of plate boundaries: divergent where plates move apart and new crust is formed, convergent where plates collide and mountains are created, and transform where plates slide past each other causing shallow earthquakes.

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    Earthquakes

    Uploaded by

    Rohin Amit Wadhwa
    13 views2 pages
    The Earth's interior is composed of several layers including the crust, mantle, and core. The crust and upper mantle form tectonic plates that slowly move due to convection currents in the underlying asthenosphere. There are three types of plate boundaries: divergent where plates move apart and new crust is formed, convergent where plates collide and mountains are created, and transform where plates slide past each other causing shallow earthquakes.

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    The Earth's interior is composed of several layers including the crust, mantle, and core. The crust and upper mantle form tectonic plates that slowly move due to convection currents in the underlying asthenosphere. There are three types of plate boundaries: divergent where plates move apart and new crust is formed, convergent where plates collide and mountains are created, and transform where plates slide past each other causing shallow earthquakes.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    13 views2 pages

    Earthquakes

    Uploaded by

    Rohin Amit Wadhwa
    The Earth's interior is composed of several layers including the crust, mantle, and core. The crust and upper mantle form tectonic plates that slowly move due to convection currents in the underlying asthenosphere. There are three types of plate boundaries: divergent where plates move apart and new crust is formed, convergent where plates collide and mountains are created, and transform where plates slide past each other causing shallow earthquakes.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    Earths interior

    Causes of earthquakes
    Types of plate boundaries

    Earthquakes are the result of sudden movement along faults within the Earth. The movement
    releases stored-up energy in the form of seismic waves, which propagate through the Earth
    and cause the ground surface to shake. Such movement on the faults.

    The crust:
    This brittle, outermost layer varies in thickness from about 25 to 70 km under continents and
    from about 5 to 10 km under the oceans. Continental crust is quite complex in structure and is
    made from many different kinds of rocks.
    The Mantle
    Below the crust lies the dense mantle, extending to a depth of 2890 km. It consists of dense
    silicate rocks.
    The core
    At a depth of about 2900 km is the boundary between the mantle and the Earth’s core. the
    core is composed of iron. We also know that the outer part of the core is liquid.
    Tectonic Plates
    The Earth’s outermost layer is fragmented into about 15 major slabs called tectonic plates.
    These slabs form the lithosphere, which is comprised of the crust (continental and oceanic)
    and the upper part of the mantle. Tectonic plates move very slowly relative to each other,
    typically a few centimetres per year, but this still causes a huge amount of deformation at the
    plate boundaries, which in turn results in earthquakes.
    What drives the movement of tectonic plates?

    Below the tectonic plates lies the Earth’s asthenosphere. The asthenosphere behaves like a
    fluid over very long time scales. mantle convection currents: warm mantle currents drive and
    carry plates of lithosphere along a like a conveyor belt

    There are three types of plated boundary:

     divergent: plates moving apart


     convergent: plates coming together
     transform: plates moving past each other

    Divergent plate boundary


    Plates can move apart at a boundary. This type of boundary is called a divergent boundary. It
    is also referred to as a constructive plate boundary, as new material is being produced at the
    boundary surface. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a good example of a constructive plate
    boundary. Hot magma rises from the mantle at mid-ocean ridges, pushing the plates apart.
    Earthquakes occur along the fractures that appear as the plates move apart. Examples include
    the East African rift and mid-ocean ridges where two ocean plates are moving apart

    Convergent plate boundary


    Continental collisions result in the creation of mountains and fold belts as the rocks are
    forced upwards. Plates can move towards each other at a boundary. This type of boundary is
    called a convergent boundary. Continental collisions result in the creation of mountains and
    fold belts as the rocks are forced upwards. They are associated with mountain ranges, such as
    the Himalayas or the Alps. 
    Transform plate boundary
    Plates can move past each other in the same plane at a boundary. This type of boundary is
    called a transform boundary.

    Where two plates slide past each other, earthquakes originate at shallow depths. This type of
    plate boundary is also referred to as a conservative plate boundary, as it involves movement
    but no loss or creation of material at the surface. Examples include the San Andreas fault in
    the USA and the Anatolian fault in Asia Minor.

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