Which type of energy transformation occurs when an earthquake happens?
Earthquakes occur when energy stored in elastically strained rocks is suddenly released. This release of energy causes intense ground shaking in the area near the source of the earthquake and sends waves of elastic energy, called seismic waves, throughout the Earth.
What happens as a result of plate movements and earthquakes?
Earthquakes can cause the ground to shake and crack apart. Earthquakes occur along fault lines, cracks in Earth’s crust where tectonic plates meet. They occur where plates are subducting, spreading, slipping, or colliding. As the plates grind together, they get stuck and pressure builds up.
What type of plate transformation occurs when plates collide?
convergent plate boundary
If two tectonic plates collide, they form a convergent plate boundary. Usually, one of the converging plates will move beneath the other, a process known as subduction.
Does plate transformation cause earthquakes?
Transform plate boundaries produce enormous and deadly earthquakes. This is because the plates slide past each other without moving up or down. The San Andreas Fault that runs through much of California is an enormous transform plate boundary. It is the plate boundary between Pacific and North American plates.
Where does subduction of tectonic plates cause earthquakes?
Subduction-caused volcanism and earthquake activity occur frequently along the outer edges of the Pacific Ocean in an area known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. In fact, this area has seen the eight most powerful earthquakes ever recorded and is home to over 75 percent of the world’s active and dormant volcanoes. Edited by Brooks Mitchell
What happens to the Earth’s crust during subduction?
The rest of the slab keeps descending and leaves the realm of plate tectonics. Subduction also forms some of Earth’s most powerful earthquakes. Slabs normally subduct at a rate of a few centimeters per year, but sometimes the crust may stick and cause strain.
How is the oceanic lithosphere formed during subduction?
Oceanic lithosphere is formed hot and thin at mid-ocean ridges and grows thick as more rock hardens underneath it. As it moves away from the ridge, it cools. Rocks shrink as they cool, so the plate becomes more dense and sits lower than younger, hotter plates. Therefore, when two plates meet, the younger,…
What happens when two tectonic plates meet and sink?
Therefore, when two plates meet, the younger, higher plate has an edge and does not sink. Oceanic plates do not float on the asthenosphere like ice on water—they are more like sheets of paper on water, ready to sink as soon as one edge can start the process.