= Elastic-rebound theory
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<Elastic-rebound theory> explains an earthquake as rapid release of <elastic strain> accumulated while a fault resists <relative motion>. When slipping occurs, nearby rock moves toward a less-strained configuration and part of the released <energy> propagates as <seismic waves>.
The motivating <observations> for the 1906 California earthquake included displacement across the fault and deformation away from it. <H. F. Reid> used those relationships to connect slow loading with sudden slip. The theory concerns stored deformation and its release; it does not imply that every fault is locked uniformly or that <stress> <measurements> alone predict an earthquake's time.<Reid's Elastic Rebound Theory by United States Geological Survey>[1906 observations and Reid's interpretation]{ref}
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