Earthquakes are caused due to

Answer: (d) Movement of a part of earth's surface on account of the faulting of rock

Most earthquakes come from sudden movement along faults.

The idea

Most earthquakes start when friction on a fault is overcome suddenly. Rock has been deforming under stress, and rapid slip releases stored energy. This elastic rebound is the main explanation for tectonic earthquakes.

Plates or crustal blocks keep moving → Friction locks a fault segment → Surrounding rock stores elastic strain → Stress overcomes resistance → Fault slips suddenly → Released energy travels as seismic waves

Why the others are wrong

(a) Volcanoes cause some quakes, but not most.

(b) Landslides cause minor tremors.

(c) Cyclones don’t cause earthquakes.

Elimination technique

The question asks for the general geological cause. Volcanic eruptions and landslides cover narrower cases, while fault movement explains the main tectonic class.

Also know

Normal faults mainly reflect extension, reverse faults compression, and strike-slip faults sideways movement. Earthquakes also occur within plates, not only on their edges. Volcanic activity, collapse and human actions can produce other earthquakes, but these do not replace fault movement as the main tectonic mechanism.