Jumpstart your
problem solving
with QED Templates

Rock-mass movements cause displacement across the faults. A fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock. Such movement on the faults is generally a response to long-term deformation and the buildup of stress. These sudden movements along faults are responsible for earthquakes. The elastic-strain energy released due to the displacement forms the shock or seismic waves. Depending on the density, seismic waves propagate through the ground very fast. These waves bend and refract like a light while passing through the earth, shaking the ground surface. The epicenter is the point on the earth’s surface vertically above the focus of an earthquake. The focus is often miles beneath the earth’s surface. Focus (aka hypocenter) is the location on the earth where the earthquake begins.

Earthquakes
Induced earthquake

•   Explosion of nuclear/ chemical weapon
•   Geothermal/ fracking project
•   Reservoir filling
•   Tunnel construction

Collapse earthquake

•   Mining/ subsidence
•   Karst area cave-ins

Volcanic earthquake

•   Active volcanism

Tectonic earthquake

•   Movement of tectonic plates

This fishbone shares knowledge about various types of earthquakes and some potential causes.

Who should use the Earthquakes template?

• This analysis is advantageous to anyone who wants to study different types of earthquakes and their causes.

Why use this template?

• Understand the types of earthquakes and the causative agents.
• Review, modify and reuse this template using smartQED to analyze or solve the problem.
• Draft your templates for any type of problem analysis in smartQED.

Curated from community experience and public sources:

• https://learningmole.com/what-causes-earthquakes/
• http://www.seismo.ethz.ch/en/knowledge/things-to-know/causes-of-earthquakes/general/