What phenomenon is caused by movement along a fault plane?

The phenomenon that occurs due to movement along a fault plane is an earthquake. When tectonic plates move, they can become locked at their edges due to friction. When stress builds up enough to overcome this friction, the plates slip, releasing energy. This release of energy causes seismic waves to propagate through the Earth, which is felt as shaking at the surface—this is known as an earthquake.

In this context, seismic waves indeed arise from this process, but they are a consequence of the earthquake itself rather than the phenomenon in question. Tectonic shift can refer to broader movements of the Earth's lithosphere and is not as specific as an earthquake, while a volcanic eruption occurs due to the movement of magma and is not typically related to fault movement. This clarification reinforces why the occurrence of an earthquake specifically identifies the phenomenon resulting from fault movement.