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Investigation to Study the Origin of Earthquakes Background An earthquake occurs when forces inside the earth become strong enough to fracture large masses of rock and make them move. This sudden break releases energy which travels through the earth as a series of shock waves. Earthquakes occur at plate margins. Earthquakes only occur in rocks which are brittle and which will snap or break suddenly. When this happens earthquake waves are released. They are like sound waves. They do not occur in liquid or plastic materials. No earthquakes originate in the mantle because it is a plastic material. Definitions: P Waves - Primary or push/pull waves L Waves - Long waves S Waves - Short waves Brittle - Will break or rupture suddenly Plastic - Can be distorted but does not return to its original shape Elastic - Can be distorted but returns to original shape Stress - When forces are placed on an object Strain - The way stress...

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