An earthquake occurs when the tectonic plates slowly move over a long period of time.
An earthquake is caused as the tectonic plates of the earth’s crust move past each other at a fault, the pieces of rock that stick out of their sides sometimes bump into one another. However, sometimes the tectonic plates get stuck. The plates push and push against each other and builds up pressure. More and more pressure builds up and suddenly the plates move. This causes the ground above the plates to move, sometimes a lot. How much the ground moves depends on how much pressure has built up between the plates. The more pressure, the bigger the earthquake!
The main causes of earthquakes fall into five categories.
If you are not close to a fault, for example Spain, the earthquake is tiny but if you are near a fault the earthquakes can be much bigger! For example, in Italy, there was a massive earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter Scale in August 2016 and it destroyed most of the city centre. Whereas most of the time here in Spain, you either can’t feel them or they are minor and cause very little if any damage.
Emily Henderson @ ELIS 