Earthquakes occur when there is a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust, causing the ground to shake. This usually happens along faults, which are cracks in the Earth’s surface where tectonic plates meet. These plates are constantly moving, but sometimes they get stuck due to friction. When the pressure builds up enough to overcome the friction, the plates suddenly shift, releasing energy in the form of seismic waves this is what we feel as an earthquake.

The strength of an earthquake is measured using the Richter scale or the moment magnitude scale. Smaller quakes may be barely noticeable, while larger ones can cause serious damage to buildings, roads, and even trigger tsunamis. Scientists use seismographs to study earthquakes and try to understand their patterns, but predicting the exact time and place of a quake remains a major challenge. Understanding how earthquakes work helps us prepare and build safer structures in earthquake-prone areas. Shutdown123