Question
Explain, in brief, the cause of an earthquake.
Answer
Earthquakes are caused by disturbances deep down inside the uppermost layer of the earth. The outermost layer of the earth is not in a ‘single piece’; it is broken into a number of plates, known as tectonic plates. These plates are moving around very slowly- just a few millimetres every year. The movements of these plates cause changes on the surface of the earth which may cause an earthquake.