An earthquake occurs when tectonic plates push together, causing one plate to move up or down. The 2011 Christchurch earthquake in New Zealand's South Island was a magnitude 6.3 quake that caused significant damage to buildings and homes, resulting in 181 deaths. Tectonic plates are irregularly shaped slabs of solid rock that make up the Earth's lithosphere, and they vary greatly in size and thickness.

1. What is an Earthquake? An earthquake is when the earth shakes in one place.

2. What causes an earthquake? An earthquake is caused by two tectonic plates pushing together, if one tectonic plate can’t go straight it goes up or down and causes an earthquake.

3. February Christchurch earthquake. The February Christchurch earthquake was a magnitude of 6.3 in NZ south island in Christchurch at 12:51pm on Tuesday the 22nd 2011. The Christchurch earthquake was a natural disaster it has caused broken buildings and homes, 181 people have died from this earthquake.

4. Tectonic plates. A tectonic plate (also called lithospheric plate) is a massive, irregularly shaped slab of solid rock, generally composed of both continental and oceanic lithosphere. Plate size can vary greatly, from a few hundred to thousands of kilometers across; the Pacific and Antarctic Plates are among the largest. Plate thickness also varies greatly, ranging from less than 15 km for young oceanic lithosphere to about 200 km or more for ancient continental lithosphere (for example, the interior parts of North and South America).

5. Our source of information. Our source of information from www.Google.nz.

6. Created by… Holly! SHALINI TASHA