Fault

A fault is a crack or fracture in the Earth's crust where rocks on either side have moved relative to each other. Imagine a large, rigid piece of a jigsaw puzzle that has broken along a line; the break is the fault. Faults can happen deep underground or at the surface and are often the sites of earthquakes, as the Earth's tectonic plates shift and release energy along these cracks. They play a crucial role in shaping the Earth's surface and are important features for geologists studying geological activity and earthquake risks.