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Earthquakes
Unit F Vocabulary
Term | Definition |
---|---|
body wave | A seismic wave that moves through the interior of the earth |
earthquake | A term used to describe ground shaking and radiated seismic energy caused by a sudden slip along a fault or by a volcanic eruption |
epicenter | The point on Earth’s surface directly above an earthquake’s starting point |
fault | A fracture along which the blocks of crust on either side have moved |
focus | The spot or origin where the earthquake began -- often below the surface of the earth. |
intensity | The amount of damage caused by an earthquake |
magnitude | The measure of the strength of an earthquake |
Modified Mercalli Scale | Scale that shows the levels of earthquake intensity |
Moment Magnitude Scale | Magnitude scale that is more accurate for larger earthquakes |
P-Wave | A seismic wave that shakes the ground back and forth in the same direction and the opposite direction as the direction the wave is moving. |
Richter Scale | A numerical scale for expressing the magnitude of an earthquake on the basis of seismogram readings |
seismogram | A tracing of earthquake motion (paper with squiggly lines) |
seismograph | The instrument that records vibrations in the ground (writes or prints information on paper) |
seismology | The study of earthquakes and the structure of the earth, by both naturally and artificially generate |
seismometer | Instrument buried in the ground to detect earthquake vibrations |
S-P interval | The time gap between earthquake arrivals, used to calculate distance to the epicenter |
surface wave | A seismic wave that is trapped in the crust of the earth |
S-Wave | A seismic wave that shakes the ground back and forth perpendicular to the direction the wave is moving. |
triangulation | The process of determining the location of a point by measuring angles to it from three known points |
tsunami | A sea wave caused by large oceanic earthquakes, major submarine slides, or exploding volcanic islands. |