Final answer:
An earthquake occurs when tectonic plates collide, build up stress at their boundaries, and finally release that energy as seismic waves, causing ground shaking and sometimes leading to destruction and natural disasters like tsunamis.
Step-by-step explanation:
How an Earthquake Happens
To describe how an earthquake happens, we need to arrange the given events in a sequence that accurately reflects the process. The correct order would be:
- Tectonic plates collide with each other.
- The plates create great stresses in rocks near the edges of the plate.
- The separation of the plates releases a great amount of energy.
- The seismic waves created at the hypocenter spread out radially and cause shaking wherever they travel.
Earthquakes are a result of the dynamic movement of tectonic plates. These plates move and interact at their boundaries, which can lead to four types of interactions: pulling apart, subduction (one plate going under another), sliding alongside each other, or collision. The motion along fault zones often occurs in sudden violent slippages when the built-up stresses in the crust are too much to bear, releasing the stored energy as an earthquake. These seismic waves can lead to various destructive consequences, including the destruction of buildings, slope failures, and tsunamis, particularly when earthquakes occur below or near the ocean floor.