Why do earthquakes happen at destructive plate margins?

At destructive plate margins, oceanic crust subducts beneath continental crust. In this zone of subduction a lot of friction is created as the plates move alongside each other. Over time, the build up of friction will become so great that the plates reach a breaking point in which the pressure is released in the form of an earthquake. The zone in which earthquakes occur within destructive plate margins is called the Benioff zone. 

Answered by Aimee M. Geography tutor

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