Earthquakes can result from a sudden shift of the earth's crust, a volcanic eruption. the ca in of an underground cavem or a landslide. The ASEAN region sits atop large tectonic plates: the Eurasian Plate, Philippine Plate, Indian Plate and Australian Piate. The borders along these plates are subject to high pressure that may cause earthquakes when the plates shift. This is especially apparent in the region from the island of Sumatra up to the Andaman Sea. As a result, pans of Indonesia and Myanmar suffer frequent earthquakes. Huge earthquakes often have dire consequences including landsides, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions that cause loss of life and destruction of property. One recent example is the earthquake that occurred off Sumatra in late 2004. It triggered landslides and massive tsunamis that killed many thousands of people and devastaled coastal areas in many countries, especially Indonesia and Thailand.