Question: How do earthquakes start because tech tonic plates only move a couple of millimeters each year. So if we regually check where the edges are couldnt we tell if there is going to be an earthquake?
Keywords: check, earthquake, monitor, plates, tectonics
The borders of many tectonic plates are in inconvenient places like very deep under the sea or underneath cities so its hard to go an look. Also the plates don’t push on each other equally, some parts push harder than others so you would need to check all the the plate boundaries all of the time to monitor changes.
As for them moving only millimetres. When two pieces of rock, each the size of a fifth of the planet and weighing tons and tons, bump into each other, even going so slowly, that’s quite a collision. Its not just the speed that matters its the weight behind them that results in the catastrophic effects.
0
Hi Redranga,
Predicting earthquakes is difficult because they happen for a couple of reasons. Even though the plates move very slowly, plates build up stress points, and it is when the stress is released that we get a quake.
But there is no set limit to the stress, and also various things can set them off. Often what is seen is that quakes take place as a series of events rather than just one big event.
There is some short term predictive ability in specific areas where tremors are monitored, but this is only short term events.
0
Nicely answered, James and Dustin.
0