Plate tectonics, the theory that describes the movement of the 60-mile (100-kilometer)-thick lithospheric plates that make up the rigid outer skin of Earth, provides a way to understand the causes of many earthquakes.
Faults occur where the lithospheric plates grind against each other. As the plates continue to move—typically at the rate at which a fingernail grows—the rocks on either side of the fault bend to accommodate that movement. Stress builds up over time and, eventually, exceeds the rock strength, at which time the fault ruptures, the rocks snap back to their original shapes, and the stored energy is released as a shock wave that is the earthquake.
Watch the video above to learn how geologists are studying earthquake risk in Bangladesh, Earth’s most densely populated nation.
Plate tectonics, the theory that describes the movement of the 60-mile (100-kilometer)-thick lithospheric plates that make up the rigid outer skin of Earth, provides a way to understand the causes of many earthquakes.Faults occur where the lithospheric plates grind against each other. As the plates continue to move—typically at the rate at which a fingernail grows—the rocks on either side of the fault bend to accommodate that movement. Stress builds up over time and, eventually, exceeds the rock strength, at which time the fault ruptures, the rocks snap back to their original shapes, and the stored energy is released as a shock wave that is the earthquake.Watch the video above to learn how geologists are studying earthquake risk in Bangladesh, Earth’s most densely populated nation.
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
