EARTHQUAKES FOLLOW ALONG THE REDLINE PLATE BOUNDARIES THAT ENCIRCLE THE WORLD FROM THE PHILIPPINE PLATE, INDO-AUSTRALIAN PLATE, PACIFIC PLATE, COCOS PLATE, SOUTH AMERICAN PLATE, CARRIBEAN PLATE, NORTH AMERICAN PLATE, EUARASIAN PLATE, ARABIAN PLATE, AFRICAN PLATE, NAZCA PLATE AND THE ANTARCTIC PLATE - EVERY ONE WILL BE SERVED A MAGNITUDE OF QAUKE LONG OVER DUE

.......Earthquakes claim tens of thousands of lives all over the world each year.

But the places most often rocked by them are those closest to major fault lines, where different tectonic plates meet.

“The crust has several pieces,” Dr Fatahi said.

“The line between each of these pieces is called a ‘fault line’.

“The most dangerous fault lines are those where two tectonic plates collide.”

That was the case in central Italy, when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the region on Wednesday. More than 257 people died and many more were injured. Rescue workers are racing against the clock to find people trapped under rubble, but hope is diminishing as reports of voices from under collapsed buildings drift off.

“The Eurasian Plate and African Plate both have a very big fault line where they meet somewhere under Italy ... this is what caused the earthquake (on Wednesday),” Dr Fatahi said.

“Below that plate you have got magma ... if the fault opens there’s a chance magma will come up.”

http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/life-on-the-fault-lines-major-earthquakes-overdue-and-no-one-in-the-world-is-safe-expert-says/news-story/0453eac947c8a9485be293364f56ac50