What Happens After an Earthquake?
People often wonder whether an earthquake can drastically change the topography of a region. A few tremors and some buildings that collapse does not mean that the shape of the earth has changed, does it? However, earthquakes can and do change the topography of the region. Our earth is made of many layers just like an onion. We can divide it into four main layers: the inner or solid core, the outer or liquid core, mantle, and crust. The inner core is composed mostly of iron and is extremely hot. This heat causes the outer core to remain in a liquid or molten form. Most of the earth’s mass is in the mantle. But if pressure were to be applied on this layer, it deforms slowly. The crust is the thinnest layer and is rocky. It is also the coldest layer relatively. Because it is cold, the layer is also brittle and fractures easily during an earthquake. The crust is formed of huge rocky plates that are constantly moving at a speed of 10 centimetres per year. These are known as plate tectonics
