A submarine, undersea, or underwater earthquake is an earthquake that occurs

underwater at the bottom of a body of water, especially an ocean. They are the
leading cause of tsunamis. The magnitude can be measured scientifically by the use
of the moment magnitude scale and the intensity can be assigned using the Mercalli
intensity scale.

Understanding plate tectonics helps to explain the cause of submarine earthquakes.

The Earth's surface or lithosphere comprises tectonic plates which average
approximately 50 miles in thickness, and are continuously moving very slowly upon a
bed of magma in the asthenosphere and inner mantle. The plates converge upon one
another, and one subducts below the other, or, where there is only shear stress,
move horizontally past each other (see transform plate boundary below). Little
movements called fault creep are minor and not measurable. The plates meet with
each other, and if rough spots cause the movement to stop at the edges, the motion
of the plates continue. When the rough spots can no longer hold, the sudden release
of the built-up motion releases, and the sudden movement under the sea floor causes
a submarine earthquake. This area of slippage both horizontally and vertically is
called the epicenter, and has the highest magnitude, and causes the greatest
damage.

As with a continental earthquake the severity of the damage is not often caused by
the earthquake at the rift zone, but rather by events which are triggered by the
earthquake. Where a continental earthquake will cause damage and loss of life on
land from fires, damaged structures, and flying objects; a submarine earthquake
alters the seabed, resulting in a series of waves, and depending on the length and
magnitude of the earthquake, tsunami, which bear down on coastal cities causing
property damage and loss of life.

Submarine earthquakes can also damage submarine communications cables, leading to

widespread disruption of the Internet and international telephone network in those
areas. This is particularly common in Asia, where many submarine links cross
submarine earthquake zones such as the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Contents [hide]
1 Tectonic plate boundaries
1.1 Convergent plate boundary
1.2 Transform plate boundary
1.3 Divergent plate boundary
2 List of major submarine earthquakes
3 See also
4 References
Tectonic plate boundaries[edit]

Tectonic plate boundaries, showing the directions of plate movements.

Different kinds of boundaries

The different ways in which tectonic plates rub against each other under the ocean
or sea floor to create submarine earthquakes. The type of friction created may be
due to the characteristic of the geologic fault or the plate boundary as follows.
Some of the main areas of large tsunami producing submarine earthquakes are the
Pacific Ring of Fire and the Great Sumatran fault.

Convergent plate boundary[edit]

Main article: Convergent boundary
The older, and denser plate moves below the lighter plate. The further down it
moves, the hotter it becomes, until finally melting altogether at the asthenosphere
and inner mantle and the crust is actually destroyed. The location where the two
oceanic plates actually meet become deeper and deeper creating trenches with each
successive action. There is an interplay of various densities of lithosphere rock,
asthenosphere magma, cooling ocean water and plate movement for example the Pacific
Ring of Fire. Therefore, the site of the sub oceanic trench will be a site of
submarine earthquakes; for example the Mariana Trench, Puerto Rico Trench, and the
volcanic arc along the Great Sumatran fault.[1]

Transform plate boundary[edit]

Main article: Transform fault
A transform-fault boundary, or simply a transform boundary is where two plates will
slide past each other, and the irregular pattern of their edges may catch on each
other. The lithosphere is neither added to from the asthenosphere nor is it
destroyed as in convergent plate action. For example, along the San Andreas fault
strike-slip fault zone, the Pacific Tectonic Plate has been moving along at about 5
cm/yr in a northwesterly direction, whereas the North American Plate is moving
south-easterly.[2]

Divergent plate boundary[edit]

Main article: Divergent boundary
Rising convection currents occur where two plates are moving away from each other.
In the gap, thus produced hot magma rises up, meets the cooler sea water, cools,
and solidifies, attaching to either or both tectonic plate edges creating an
oceanic spreading ridge. When the fissure again appears, again magma will rise up,
and form new lithosphere crust. If the weakness between the two plates allows the
heat and pressure of the asthenosphere to build over a large amount of time, a
large quantity of magma will be released pusing up on the plate edges and the magma
will solidify under the newly raised plate edges, see formation of a submarine
volcano. If the fissure is able to come apart because of the two plates moving
apart, in a sudden movement, an earthquake tremor may be felt for example at the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Africa.[3]

List of major submarine earthquakes[edit]

The following is a list of major submarine earthquakes.

Date Event Location Estimated moment magnitude ( {\displaystyle M_{w}} M_{w})

Notes
March 11, 2011 2011 Tohoku earthquake The epicenter is 130 kilometers (81 mi)
off the east coast of the Oshika Peninsula, Tohoku, with the hypocenter at a depth
of 32 km (20 mi). 9.0 This is the largest known earthquake to hit Japan
December 26, 2006 2006 Hengchun earthquakes The epicenter is off the southwest
coast of Taiwan, in the Luzon Strait, which connects the South China Sea with the
Philippine Sea. 7.1
December 26, 2004 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake The epicenter is off the
northwestern coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. 9.3 This is the third largest
earthquake in recorded history and generated massive tsunamis, which caused
widespread devastation when they hit land, leaving an estimated 230,000 people dead
in countries around the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean.
May 4, 1998 A part of the island of Yonaguni was destroyed by a submarine
earthquake.
May 22, 1960 1960 Valdivia earthquake The epicenter is off the coast of
South Central Chile. 9.5 This is the largest earthquake ever recorded.
December 20, 1946 1946 Nankaido earthquake The epicenter is off the southern
coast of Kii Peninsula and Shikoku, Japan. 8.1
December 7, 1944 1944 Tonankai earthquake The epicenter is about 20 km off
the coast of the Shima Peninsula in Japan. 8.0
November 18, 1929 1929 Grand Banks earthquake The epicenter is at Grand Banks,
off the south coast of Newfoundland in the Atlantic Ocean. 7.2
June 15, 1896 1896 Sanriku earthquake The epicenter is off the Sanriku coast of
northeastern Honshu, Japan. 8.5
April 4, 1771 The epicenter is near Yaeyama Islands in Okinawa, Japan.
7.4
January 26, 1700 1700 Cascadia earthquake The epicenter is offshore from
Vancouver Island to northern California. ~9.0 This is one of the largest
earthquakes on record.
See also[edit]
Cascadia subduction zone
Fracture zone
Geology
List of plate tectonics topics
List of tectonic plate interactions
List of tectonic plates
Metamorphism
Plate tectonics
Sedimentary basin
Triple junction
Tsunami
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Convergent Plate Boundaries - Convergent Boundary - Geology.com URL
accessed January 23, 2007
Jump up ^ Understanding plate motions [This Dynamic Earth, USGSURL accessed January
23, 2007
Jump up ^ Divergent Plate Boundaries - Divergent Boundary - Geology.com URL
accessed January 23, 2007