Q.  What causes earthquakes, really?

A.  Ultimately, they are due to natural expansion processes at the core of the Earth. As this zone expands, its effects work their way up to the Earth's surface, which is continually expanding in area.

Q.  Is this the movement of "Tectonic Plates"?

A.  In a way, but "tectonic plates" is a misnomer, there are no actual plates involved and no real mechanisms causing their movement.

Q.  What is the phenomenon causing expansion at the core?

A.  See XT807 - The Concore Model of planet and star interiors for details.

Q.   Does the new explanation allow occurrences of earthquakes to be predicted?

A.  In principle, yes, though a lot of computing power would be needed -- but not as much as currently goes into weather prediction.

Q.  Where is there more on this area?

A.  See Finally, the True Origin of Earthquakes?.