Seamounts make earthquakes

Large earthquakes are possibly caused due to shearing of isolated mountains (seamounts) in subduction zones of the ocean. The position of seamount decapitation determines the magnitude of the earthquake. Asperities are strong areas of the plate interface that control earthquake occurrences. They are made from the subducted seamounts and are affected by sea floor roughness and style of sediment subduction. The size of earthquakes varies between subduction zones probably due to the absolute velocity of the overlying plate that affects the speed of subduction.