which causes the sudden breaking of rocks in faults or cracks in the crust
Which causes the sudden breaking of rocks in faults or cracks in the crust?
Answer:
The sudden breaking of rocks in faults or cracks in the Earth’s crust is caused by the release of stress that has built up over time. When tectonic forces acting on the Earth’s crust exceed the strength of the rocks, they can break along pre-existing fractures, faults, or cracks. This sudden release of stress leads to the movement of rock layers along the fault plane, resulting in an earthquake.
Earthquakes can occur along various types of faults, such as normal faults, reverse faults, and strike-slip faults. Each type of fault has a different mode of stress release, which can impact the magnitude and characteristics of the resulting earthquake. The movement of rocks along faults can also cause vibrations that propagate through the Earth as seismic waves, which are detected and measured by seismographs. These seismic waves provide valuable information about the source, location, and intensity of an earthquake.