Caption: The fastest plate moves at about 15 centimeters (6 inches) per year; the slowest at 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) per year. Image courtesy: NASA/Goddard
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What Are Earthquakes?
The outermost layers of Earth are broken up into huge pieces called tectonic plates. These plates, which are up to tens of kilometers thick, are constantly moving.
A plates edge, or boundary, is where the plates interact and grind past each other. Most volcanoes and earthquake areas are at plate boundaries. In California, the San Andreas is the main fault in a wide boundary between the Pacific and North American plates."
Click ahead to see more images about earthquakes.
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