Earthquakes cause a sudden shaking of the ground. If the locations of earthquakes over the past 10 years were plotted on a world map, which of the following would be observed?

Question

Earthquakes do not seem to occur in any consistent pattern.


Earthquakes generally occur along the edges of tectonic plates.


Earthquakes most frequently occur near the middle of continents.


Earthquakes occur with the same frequency everywhere on Earth.

Answer 1

If the locations of earthquakes over the past 10 years were plotted on a world map, the observation that would be made is:

Earthquakes generally occur along the edges of tectonic plates.

This is because most earthquakes are associated with the movement of tectonic plates, which often leads to seismic activity along plate boundaries. Regions situated near these boundaries, such as the Pacific Ring of Fire, experience a higher frequency of earthquakes compared to areas situated in the interior of tectonic plates or away from plate boundaries.