Hundreds of earthquakes occur every day around the world. Which statement is true?

• A. Earthquakes occur only in some regions
• B. Hundreds of earthquakes occur every day around the world
• C. There are no earthquakes every day
• D. Most earthquakes occur in the ocean

Answer: (B)

Earthquakes happen because Earth's tectonic plates are constantly moving and squeezing against each other. Stress builds up along faults until rocks crack and release energy as seismic waves, which we feel as shaking. This process is happening everywhere along plate boundaries, in both oceans and continents, so events occur continuously. Many of these earthquakes are very small and go unnoticed by people, but instruments detect them all around the world every day. Because of that constant activity and widespread distribution, saying that hundreds of earthquakes occur daily globally is accurate. While a lot of activity occurs under the oceans, earthquakes also occur on land, so it isn’t correct to say they happen mostly in the ocean or only in certain regions.