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You wake in the darkness, unsure about what has disturbed you. Strangely the clock on your bedside table begins to rattle about, as if it has a will of its own. You become aware of a strange roaring sound outside, like a jet passing overhead. The rattling grows and strengthens. Suddenly, the earth moves, bucking like a wild animal. Your room heaves; glasses crash in the kitchen; paintings fall from the walls. What is it? …

…miles thick beneath the ocean. The plates move because of convection currents. Magma has currents like the ocean does, that move in a circular motion beneath the plates. When two plates are pushing against each other, they are building up tension on the fault. When the two plates finally slip, they release a great amount of energy in the form of shock waves. The vibrations make the ground move and shake, which is an earthquake.