Earthquakes

A major earthquake occurs when the massive tectonic plates that make up the earth's crust suddenly move.A mild earthquake can feel like a truck passing a severe one can destroy roads and buildings and cause the sea to rise in huge waves.

At transform faults where two plates are moving in opposite directions,the jagged edges of two plates may lock together.Stress builds up within the plates until suddenly they slip making the ground shake violently as they jolt into a new position.Most earthquakes occur on or near to the edges of the earth's tectonic plates as cracks in the crust called faults.Deep earthquakes take place where one plate is sliding under another.

The strongest known earthquake occured in Colombia in 1906 with a magnitude of 8.9 on the Richter scale.

The highest recorded numbers of deaths from an earthquake is 830,000 occuring in Shamsi ,China in 1556.

The worst earthquake damage on record took place in Kwanto Japan in 1923 destroying 375,000 homes and killing 144,000 people.