Earthquakes

Earthquakes

Earthquakes 2
    When it comes to plate margins there are two types; convergent margins and divergent margins. A convergent margin by definition is the point at which tectonic plates collide: a boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving together, one dipping under the other (Microsoft Corporation, 2009). This could lead to different types of margins, but this depends on if the boundaries are between two oceanic plates, two continental plates, but it can also be one of each of them. When it comes to divergent margins by definition it is a tectonic boundary where two plates are moving away from each other and new crust is forming from magma that rises to the Earth’s surface between the two plates (The free dictionary, 2010). When it comes to divergent margins, this is where earthquakes are the most common along these plate margins. Earthquakes are caused by sudden movement of the Earth’s crust that is along a fault line, this is also called “stresses blocks.” If you think about rocks sliding past one another in an orderly fashion, then major earthquakes will not occur, however that is not the case. Along the fault lines if they lock up and remain locked up due to the friction, then the energy near the fault lines will keep on happening and eventually build up. This is what plate motion is. With the plate motion, it causes the rocks adjacent to the locked-up areas to start twisting and crumbling. With the stress becoming greater and with the built up of energy being released it becomes forceful tremors of an earthquake. However, one thing that scientists are not able to do right now is predict when the tremors are occurring, but they are able to measure them while they are happening.
    When it comes to measuring earthquakes there are different scales to qualifying the strength and magnitude for every earthquake. The most used or known scale is the Richter scale and it based on the logarithmic scale. This scale was developed in 1935 by Charles...