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Because earthquakes can occur only when a rock is deforming in a brittle fashion, subduction zones can cause large earthquakes. If such a quake causes rapid deformation of the sea floor, there is potential for tsunamis. The largest tsunami ever recorded happened due to a mega-thrust earthquake on December 26, 2004. The earthquake was caused by ...
Megathrust earthquakes are almost exclusive to tectonic subduction zones and are often associated with the Pacific and Indian Oceans. [5] These subduction zones are also largely responsible for the volcanic activity associated with the Pacific Ring of Fire. [12] Since these earthquakes deform the ocean floor, they often generate strong tsunami ...
The large area of subduction results in a broad swath of deep-focus earthquakes centered from Papua New Guinea to Fiji to New Zealand, although the angle of the plates' collision causes the area between Fiji and New Zealand to be the most active, with earthquakes of M w 4.0 or above occurring on an almost daily basis. [11]
The subduction zone can be defined by a plane where many earthquakes occur, called the Wadati–Benioff zone. [1] These collisions happen on scales of millions to tens of millions of years and can lead to volcanism, earthquakes, orogenesis, destruction of lithosphere, and deformation. Convergent boundaries occur between oceanic-oceanic ...
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the historic earthquake was caused by the subduction of the Indo-Australian tectonic plate beneath the Eurasian plate. The region, known as the Sunda ...
Megathrust earthquakes are the most powerful earthquakes known to occur, and can exceed magnitude 9.0, which releases 1,000 times more energy than magnitude 7.0 and 1 million times more energy than a magnitude 5.0. [18] [19] [20] They occur when enough energy (stress) has accumulated in the "locked" zone of the fault to cause a rupture. The ...
Obduction zones occurs when the continental plate is pushed under the oceanic plate, but this is unusual as the relative densities of the tectonic plates favours subduction of the oceanic plate. This causes the oceanic plate to buckle and usually results in a new mid-ocean ridge forming and turning the obduction into subduction. [citation needed]
The 7.0-magnitude earthquake did produce a small tsunami, but it measured less than two inches in height, according to initial data. The small rise in water did not cause any reported damage and ...