Final answer:
The claim is false; burrowing animals can affect soil structure, but thunder does not contribute to soil creep. True causes of soil creep include freezing and thawing, wet-dry cycles, and gravity on slopes. Earthquakes are related to plate tectonics and occur due to the sudden release of energy from tectonic plate movement.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that burrowing animals, earthquakes, and thunder are all significant contributors to soil creep is false. While burrowing animals can affect soil structure and could potentially contribute to soil movement, thunder has no direct physical impact on soils that would cause creep. The primary causes of soil creep include factors such as the freezing and thawing of soil, wet-dry cycles, and the force of gravity on sloped terrains.
Earthquakes play a substantial role in earth processes and are directly related to the theory of plate tectonics. They occur as a result of the sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The energy can be built up from the movement of tectonic plates, which can either scrape past each other, collide, or move apart. When the stress on the rock masses exceeds their internal strength, it results in a failure at a fault line and the subsequent shaking that characterizes an earthquake.