Which natural hazard is driven by fault rupture along plate boundaries?

• A. Tsunamis
• B. Earthquakes
• C. Volcanoes
• D. Floods

Answer: (B)

The main concept is that fault rupture along plate boundaries is the process that releases stored stress in rocks, producing ground shaking. When rocks on opposite sides of a fault are stuck together, stress builds until they finally crack and slip (rupture), releasing energy as seismic waves that travel through the Earth and shake the ground you stand on. This is the defining mechanism of earthquakes, especially at plate boundaries where faults are common.

Tsunamis can occur when earthquakes are under the ocean, but the hazard being described is the ground shaking from the fault rupture itself. Volcanoes involve magma rising and erupting, while floods are related to water and rainfall, not the rupture of rocks along faults. So the event driven directly by fault rupture along plate boundaries is earthquakes.