Earthquake

Earthquakes are characterized by a sudden slip on a fault, resulting in ground shaking, with radiating seismic energy. As this event can occur naturally or as a result of human activities, it may be due to volcanic or magmatic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear experiments. Earthquakes occur most often along geologic faults, narrow zones where rock masses move in relation to one another. Earthquakes can have foreshocks, which are smaller earthquakes before larger earthquakes, the mainshock, and the aftershocks. Sometimes, they cause tsunamis, which may lead to loss of life and destruction of property.