Earthquakes occur when there is motion in the tectonic plates on the surface of the earth. The crust of the earth contains twelve such tectonic plates, which are from four to ten kilometers in length when located below the sea, although those on land can be from thirty to seventy kilometers long. Fault lines, the places where these plates meet, build up a great deal of pressure because the plates are constantly pressing on each other. Thus, the two plates will eventually shift or separate because the pressure on them is constantly increasing, and this build-up of energy needs to be released. When the plates shift or separate, we have the occurrence of an earthquake, also known as a seismic event. The main purpose of the passage is Question 2 options: to investigate a geological theory to describe the events that result in a natural phenomenon to propose a solution to a problem to provide background to a personal observation to provide a solution to a