What phenomenon results from tectonic plate movements along faults?

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Tectonic plate movements along faults primarily result in earthquakes. When tectonic plates shift, they can either collide, pull apart, or slide past each other. This movement creates stress along faults—fractures in the Earth's crust where rocks have broken and moved. When the stress exceeds the strength of the rocks, it is released in the form of seismic energy, causing the ground to shake. This is what we recognize as an earthquake.

While other geological phenomena can be associated with tectonic activity, they occur under different conditions or processes. For instance, landslides can occur due to the destabilization of soil and rock but are not directly caused by the sudden release of energy along faults. Volcanic eruptions result from the movement of magma from beneath the Earth's crust, which is related but distinct from the immediate effects of fault movement. Lastly, tsunamis can be triggered by underwater earthquakes, but they are not a direct result of the fault movements themselves. Thus, the correct answer specifically points to earthquakes as the phenomenon resulting from tectonic plate movements along faults.

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