The Earth is made up of three main layers - the core, mantle and crust. The crust is divided into tectonic plates that move and interact with each other, sometimes colliding, pulling apart or scraping together. When plates interact, they can cause deformation of the crust and the release of energy in the form of earthquakes, where the focus originates at a point within the Earth and seismic waves travel outward to the epicenter above the surface.