Earthquakes are caused when there are rocks underground that break on a fault. The sudden burst of energy causes the seismic waves that causes the ground to shake. The two plates keep moving and continue until they get stuck again. The spot where the rock breaks underground is called the focus and the spot right on top of the focus, above ground, is called the epicenter.
Before 1964, many scientists didn’t really know about what goes on underground. They then realized how two plates meet and one bends under the other, which played a big role in the 1964 Alaskan Earthquake. This earthquake was caused by the North American Plate going over the Pacific Plate. This earthquake was giant because it was caused by the large amount of area of the fault that slipped. It was estimated that the fault slipped 30-60 feet.
It is estimated that the fault was about 10,000 miles long. The two plates had been pushing against each other for many years. Once one plate finally slide on top of the other plate, all the energy being stored up released causing the earthquake. The earthquake was so strong that it was felt almost 1,200 miles away. It also caused 40,000 square miles to lower 7.5 feet and about 25,000 square miles to raise up as much as 33 feet. The earthquake also caused the shoreline to move about 50 feet towards the ocean. This earthquake triggered many underwater landslides which also helped to trigger a tsunami. After the initial earthquake, there were many strong aftershocks. Aftershocks are produced when the plates adjust to the effects caused by the main earthquake. There were thousands of aftershocks and some measured more than 6.2 in magnitude. These aftershocks were felt for many weeks following the earthquake.
Before 1964, many scientists didn’t really know about what goes on underground. They then realized how two plates meet and one bends under the other, which played a big role in the 1964 Alaskan Earthquake. This earthquake was caused by the North American Plate going over the Pacific Plate. This earthquake was giant because it was caused by the large amount of area of the fault that slipped. It was estimated that the fault slipped 30-60 feet.
It is estimated that the fault was about 10,000 miles long. The two plates had been pushing against each other for many years. Once one plate finally slide on top of the other plate, all the energy being stored up released causing the earthquake. The earthquake was so strong that it was felt almost 1,200 miles away. It also caused 40,000 square miles to lower 7.5 feet and about 25,000 square miles to raise up as much as 33 feet. The earthquake also caused the shoreline to move about 50 feet towards the ocean. This earthquake triggered many underwater landslides which also helped to trigger a tsunami. After the initial earthquake, there were many strong aftershocks. Aftershocks are produced when the plates adjust to the effects caused by the main earthquake. There were thousands of aftershocks and some measured more than 6.2 in magnitude. These aftershocks were felt for many weeks following the earthquake.
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