¿Cómo se origina un terremoto? | Nat Geo

The ground starts to quiver, glasses rattle, walls shift, and everything begins to collapse, indicating a potential devastating earthquake. Earthquakes are caused by the movement of tectonic plates and can be deadly.

The Earth's surface is made up of about 12 major tectonic plates that constantly shift and interact with each other due to superheated magma. The movement of these plates can lead to earthquakes.

Earthquakes occur when friction between tectonic plates is violent enough, causing ground-rattling destruction. The most destructive type of earthquake is born from one tectonic plate being shoved beneath another.

Deadly earthquakes can result in giant tsunamis, causing massive destruction and claiming thousands of lives. Historic earthquakes such as the ones in Nepal, Japan, Indonesia, and Haiti have been catastrophic in their impact.

There are thousands of detectable earthquakes worldwide each year, with many causing significant damage. Scientists use the Richter scale to measure earthquake intensity. Although earthquakes cannot be predicted with certainty, efforts are being made to design stronger buildings and predict their occurrence.