![]() FAQ: What is it about an earthquake that causes a tsunami?.This can happen either when earthquake faults move vertically just below the surface, or when submarine landslides transport large masses. ![]() When the surface of the seafloor moves vertically, a tsunami is born. They also occur within the crust of the upper plate, often just beneath our feet. Questions and Answers on Megathrust Earthquakes - Natural Resources CanadaĮarthquakes occur elsewhere in subduction zones, within the subducting plate (“intra-plate”) that often are deeper than about 30 kilometers (19 miles) below the surface, or at the “outer-rise” just a few kilometers below the surface where the plate begins its descent.FAQ: At what depth do earthquakes occur? What is the significance of the depth?.The massive size of these faults produce the largest earthquakes on Earth. Eventually stresses exceed the fault’s strength and it breaks free, releasing the stored energy as seismic (shaking) waves in an earthquake. When tectonic plates converge, one plate slides beneath the other plate, or subducts, descending into the Earth’s mantle at rates of 2-8 centimeters (1–3 inches) per year.Īt shallow depths, less than about 25 kilometers (16 miles), the interface between the plates may become stuck, or “locked,” and stresses build along these giant "megathrust" faults. Schematic Cross Section of a Typical Subduction Zone: When tectonic plates converge (illustrated by the thick black arrows on either side of the image), one plate slides beneath the upper plate, or subducts, descending into the Earth’s mantle at rates of 2 to 8 centimeters (1–3 inches) per year (red-brown slab with skinny arrow shows direction of motion). (Public domain.) Subduction
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