Formation of Earthquakes

The Crust of the Earth is where Earthquakes develop. The Earth’s crust is held together by tectonic plates which fit into each other seamlessly like jigsaw puzzles. Sometimes Fault lines develop within these tectonic plates weakening areas where the plates join together.

There is a lot of energy stored within the inner parts of the earth. Pressure builds up along the fault lines constantly and if the pressure built up is more than the pressure holding the tectonic plates together they start to rip apart.

The pressure (released energy) occurs as various waves (seismic waves) that make its way past the rupture resulting in an earthquake.