When do rocks along a fault have the highest amount of stress and stored elastic strain?

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Get ready for the Dual Enrollment Earth Science Test. Study strategically with multiple choice questions that include hints and detailed explanations.

Multiple Choice

When do rocks along a fault have the highest amount of stress and stored elastic strain?

Explanation:
Rocks on a fault store elastic energy as plate motion slowly deforms them and the fault remains locked by friction. This elastic strain builds up over time and reaches its maximum just before the fault ruptures in an earthquake. When the quake happens, the fault slips and energy is released, so the stress drops abruptly. During an earthquake the system is releasing energy and not at peak stress, and long before the quake the stress is still increasing toward that peak. So the highest stress and stored elastic strain occur just before an earthquake.

Rocks on a fault store elastic energy as plate motion slowly deforms them and the fault remains locked by friction. This elastic strain builds up over time and reaches its maximum just before the fault ruptures in an earthquake. When the quake happens, the fault slips and energy is released, so the stress drops abruptly. During an earthquake the system is releasing energy and not at peak stress, and long before the quake the stress is still increasing toward that peak. So the highest stress and stored elastic strain occur just before an earthquake.

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