How do earthquakes occur in the middle of continents where there are no active faults?
Dec 18, 2009
in
Earthquake Questions
Really need help in this. I thought they ocured only where active faults are.
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2 comments
mike1942f on December 18, 2009 at 8:56 pm
You are confusing plate tectonic boundries and faults. The major faults with a high amount of activity are plate related, but faults occur in many places for other reasons – for example, as mountains erode, they get lighter and the plains collecting the silt get heavier – at some point a weak line is going to shift and an earthquake will be felt. The huge layers of ice from the ice age glaciers depressed the earth under them and many areas still are doing strain relief now the ice is gone.
Jim on December 18, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Middle of continent? Like the Midwest USA? There are plenty of active faults in the Midwest.
http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/prepare/factsheets/NewMadrid/