GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Most earthquakes occur near plate boundaries. To relieve this stress, rocks bend, stretch, or compress. If the force is great enough, the rocks will break. An earthquake is the vibrations, or shaking, produced when rocks break along a fault.

Detailed explanation-2: -Surface Motions Faults are usually locked in the upper crust (right figure), leading to a gradual change in surface velocity across the fault and bending of the upper crust. This bending produces stress buildup that eventually leads to earthquakes.

Detailed explanation-3: -Folds. Rocks deforming plastically under compressive stresses crumple into folds (figure 5). They do not return to their original shape. If the rocks experience more stress, they may undergo more folding or even fracture.

Detailed explanation-4: -If more stress is applied to the rock, it bends and flows. It does not return to its original shape. Near the surface, if the stress continues, the rock will fracture (rupture) and break. With increasing stress, the rock undergoes: (1) elastic deformation, (2) plastic deformation, and (3) fracture.

Detailed explanation-5: -There are three causes to faults: tensional stress, compressional stress, and shear stress. Tensional stress happens when rocks are pulled away from each other; compressional stress, on the other hand, happens when rocks are pushed towards each other.