{"id":1731,"date":"2026-10-12T18:28:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T18:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/12\/why-do-earthquakes-happen\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T18:28:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T18:28:00","slug":"why-do-earthquakes-happen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/12\/why-do-earthquakes-happen\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do Earthquakes Happen? Causes, Measurement and Safety Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Infographic:<\/figure>\n

An earthquake<\/strong> is the sudden shaking of the ground caused by the release of energy inside Earth. Thousands happen every year, but most are too small to feel.<\/p>\n

Moving plates<\/h2>

Earth’s outer shell is broken into giant pieces called tectonic plates<\/strong>, which move slowly, a few centimetres a year. Where plates meet, they can push together, pull apart or slide past each other.<\/p>\n

Stress and release<\/h2>

Plate edges do not slide smoothly; they get stuck. Stress builds up over years until the rocks suddenly break or slip along a crack called a fault<\/strong>. The stored energy is released as seismic waves<\/strong> that shake the ground.<\/p>\n

Key terms<\/h2>
  • Focus (hypocentre):<\/strong> the point underground where the rupture begins.<\/li>
  • Epicentre:<\/strong> the point on the surface directly above the focus, usually where shaking is strongest.<\/li>
  • Aftershocks:<\/strong> smaller quakes that follow the main shock.<\/li><\/ul>\n

    How are earthquakes measured?<\/h2>

    Instruments called seismographs<\/strong> record ground motion. Earthquake size is reported as magnitude<\/strong>, today usually on the moment magnitude scale. Each whole-number step represents about 32 times more energy released.<\/p>\n

    Earthquakes in India<\/h2>

    India is earthquake-prone because the Indian plate keeps pushing into the Eurasian plate. India’s seismic zone map divides the country into four zones (II to V)<\/strong>, with Zone V the most at risk, including the Himalayan region, the Northeast and Kutch in Gujarat. A major example is the Bhuj earthquake of 2001.<\/p>\n

    Tsunamis<\/h2>

    Strong undersea earthquakes can push up huge volumes of water, causing tsunamis<\/strong>, like the one that hit India’s coasts in 2004.<\/p>\n

    Safety: what to do<\/h2>
    • Drop, Cover and Hold On:<\/strong> get down, take cover under a sturdy table, and hold on until shaking stops.<\/li>
    • Stay away from windows, glass and heavy furniture that could fall.<\/li>
    • If outdoors, move to an open area away from buildings, trees and power lines.<\/li>
    • Do not use lifts during or immediately after a quake.<\/li>
    • Keep an emergency kit with water, torch, first-aid and important documents.<\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Earthquakes happen when stress builds up along faults in Earth’s crust and is suddenly released. Learn about tectonic plates, how earthquakes are measured, India’s seismic zones and safety tips.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1730,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[336],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1731"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1731"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1731\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tiwaripedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}