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Earthquakes

Explore earthquakes, faults and seismic waves, and how instruments and geological evidence help scientists investigate Earth's movements.

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Surface rupture cutting across dry ground after the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake
EDITOR’S PICK

Why Do Earthquakes Happen?

Most earthquakes happen when tectonic forces slowly deform rock on opposite sides of a fault. Friction keeps the fault locked while elastic strain accumulates. When stress exceeds the fault’s resistance, part of it slips…

Oct 3, 2026 • 12 min readRead the discovery →
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