Earthquake
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An earthquake is the shaking caused when tectonic activity in an area causes the release of stored energy from the rock. Most commonly occurring on tectonic plate boundaries, earthquakes also occur along faults where previous movement has occurred. Biblically, earthquakes in the Old Testament have been attributed to God's wrath, though it later turned out to be another natural phenomenon.
Earthquakes are a significant natural hazard to populations living in areas prone to earthquakes and responses to the hazard vary with economic development.
The most powerful earthquakes occur at destructive tectonic plate boundaries.