A Wonderleaf question
What causes earthquakes?
a real page from the book
Earthquakes happen when huge pieces of Earth's crust get stuck at their edges, keep being pushed, and then suddenly slip. That break releases stored energy, sending shaking waves through rock, which is what people feel at the surface as an earthquake.
The strongest shaking is often near the spot above the underground break, called the epicenter. Scientists study those waves to learn how much energy was released and where it began, a little like listening to a thump travel through a table.
Wonder words
- plate
- fault
- seismic
- epicenter
Try it out
Press two books together edge to edge, push slowly, and notice how a stuck edge can jump all at once.
Read the whole picture book
Watercolour scenes, straight answers, about three minutes cover to cover.
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