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The earth has seven major tectonic plates that constantly move. Interaction between the plates can cause earthquakes.

Faults that form in the earth’s crust have two main features: a fault line and a fault plane. The fault plane is the flat surface of the fault, and the fault line is the intersection of the fault plane with the ground surface. The fault plane of the Weber Deep is called the Banda Detachment, and scientists estimate that it covers an area of 23,166 square miles (60,000 square kilometers). They used a technique called bathymetry, a type of underwater topography, to collect the sea floor data. They now believe that this is Earth’s largest exposed fault plane of all those that have been identified so far. Because the Banda Detachment is a major fault, this area of Indonesia is at an extreme risk for tsunamis. Why? Because when the fault line slips, it can make a big earthquake which can trigger a massive tsunami.

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Facing the Weather: Earthquakes