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What type of plate boundary are shallow focus earthquakes associated with?

a. Convergent boundary
b. Divergent boundary
c. Transform boundary
d. All boundary types

User Cojoj
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

Shallow focus earthquakes can occur at all types of plate boundaries, including divergent, convergent, and transform boundaries; with divergent and transform boundaries more commonly associated with such earthquakes.

Step-by-step explanation:

Shallow focus earthquakes are associated with all types of plate boundaries. However, when considering the specific types of boundaries, earthquakes at divergent boundaries tend to be more shallow, occurring as the lithospheric plates pull apart, leading to fractional cracking and volcanic activity at mid-ocean ridges or rift valleys. Convergent boundaries are characterized by a wide variety of earthquake depths ranging from shallow to deep, conditioned by the subducting slab's angle and the interaction zone's depth. Subduction zones can also result in the formation of volcanoes and mountain belts. Lastly, transform boundaries, where plates slide horizontally past each other, often experience shallow focus earthquakes as well, although they do not typically result in volcanic activity.

Each of these boundary types can produce shallow focus earthquakes, but divergent and transform boundaries are more famed for shallow earthquakes while convergent boundaries exhibit a mix of shallow and deep seismic events.

User Chility
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