What are earthquakes?

An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the result of a sudden release of
energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity or seismic activity of an
area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time.
Earthquakes are measured with a seismometer; a device which also records is known as a
seismograph. The moment magnitude (or the related and mostly obsolete Richter magnitude) of
an earthquake is conventionally reported, with magnitude 3 or lower earthquakes being mostly
imperceptible and magnitude 7 causing serious damage over large areas. Intensity of shaking is
measured on the modified Mercalli scale. The depth of the earthquake also matters: the more
shallow the earthquake, the more damage to structures (all else being equal).[1]

Most people living in California have at one time or another experienced an earthquake.
Without warning we wake up in the middle of the night because of the sometimes
violent, sometimes slow rolling motion of the earth; other times we are driving on the
freeway, walking in the mall, or even just watching television when an earthquake
occurs. So what are earthquakes? What causes them? Why do earthquakes feel so
different from one another?

Earthquakes are the Earth's natural means of releasing stress. When the Earth's plates
move against each other, stress is put on the lithosphere. When this stress is great
enough, the lithosphere breaks or shifts. Imagine holding a pencil horizontally. If you
were to apply a force to both ends of the pencil by pushing down on them, you would
see the pencil bend. After enough force was applied, the pencil would break in the
middle, releasing the stress you have put on it. The Earth's crust acts in the same way.
As the plates move they put forces on themselves and each other. When the force is
large enough, the crust is forced to break. When the break occurs, the stress is
released as energy which moves through the Earth in the form of waves, which we feel
and call an earthquake.

Types of earthquakes

There are many different types of earthquakes: tectonic, volcanic, and explosion. The
type of earthquake depends on the region where it occurs and the geological make-up
of that region. The most common are tectonic earthquakes. These occur when rocks
in the earth's crust break due to geological forces created by movement of tectonic
plates. Another type,volcanic earthquakes, occur in conjunction with volcanic activity.
Collapse earthquakes are small earthquakes in underground caverns and mines, and
explosion earthquakes result from the explosion of nuclear and chemical devices. We
can measure motion from large tectonic earthquakes using GPS because rocks on
either side of a fault are offset during this type of earthquake.