An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of stored energy in the Earth's

crust that creates seismic waves.

At the Earth's surface, earthquakes may manifest themselves by a shaking or displacement of the
ground.
Sometimes, they cause tsunamis, which may lead to loss of life and destruction of property.
An earthquake is caused by tectonic plates getting stuck and putting a strain on the ground.
The strain becomes so great that rocks give way by breaking and sliding along fault planes.
Earthquakes may occur naturally or as a result of human activities.
Most naturally occurring earthquakes are related to the tectonic nature of the Earth.
Earthquakes may also occur in volcanic regions and are caused there both by tectonic faults and by
the movement of magma in volcanoes.
Such earthquakes can be an early warning of volcanic eruptions.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/earthquake.htm

An earthquake is what happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip
past one another.
The surface where they slip is called the fault or fault plane.
The location below the earth’s surface where the earthquake starts is called the hypocenter,
and the location directly above it on the surface of the earth is called the epicenter.
Sometimes an earthquake has foreshocks.
These are smaller earthquakes that happen in the same place as the larger earthquake that follows.
Scientists can’t tell that an earthquake is a foreshock until the larger earthquake happens.
The largest, main earthquake is called the mainshock.
Mainshocks always have aftershocks that follow.
These are smaller earthquakes that occur afterwards in the same place as the mainshock.
Depending on the size of the mainshock, aftershocks can continue for weeks, months, and even
years after the mainshock!
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/kids/eqscience.php

Most earthquakes take place along faults in the upper 25 miles of the earth's
surface when one side rapidly moves relative to the other side of the fault.
This sudden motion causes shock waves (seismic waves) to radiate from their point of origin called
the focus and travel through the earth.
It is these seismic waves that can produce ground motion which people call an earthquake.

https://sites.google.com/a/lewistonpublicschools.org/earth-systems-science-website---grade-
9/home/1st-semester/plate-tectonics/-reference-materials/tectonic-chart/earthquakes

Earthquakes are the vibrations caused by rocks breaking under stress.

http://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/hazards/earthquake