How do earthquakes occur and what are their impacts?

Earthquakes happen when the ground under our feet suddenly shakes because big pieces of Earth move around like puzzle pieces.

Imagine you have a big plate that's covered in sand and rocks, this is called the Earth’s crust. Now, think of it as one giant cookie sheet. Sometimes, these cookie sheets push or pull against each other, just like when you're playing with blocks and they bump into each other. When the pressure gets too much, snap! The ground shakes, that's an earthquake.

• Tectonic plates are huge slabs of Earth’s crust.
• These plates move slowly over time, like giant puzzle pieces sliding around on a table.
• When they get stuck and then suddenly slip free, it creates an earthquake, just like when you try to pull your toy car forward but it gets stuck and then zooms ahead.

• Buildings might sway or even fall down, like when you shake a tower of blocks.
• Roads can crack open, as if the ground is saying “Ouch!”
• Sometimes, earthquakes can cause tsunamis, giant waves in the ocean that crash onto the shore.

Earthquakes are like surprises from deep inside the Earth, shaking things up in fun and sometimes not-so-fun ways.