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Earthquake Terms
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Mantle | rocky layer located under the crust. Composed of silicon, oxygen, magnesium, and calcium |
surface wave | seismic wave that moves rock particles in a backward, rolling motion and also in a side-to-side, swaying motion |
seismograph | instrument used to register seismic waves and record the time that each arrived |
secondary wave | seismic wave that moves rock particles at right angles to the direction of the wave |
core | solid inner most part of Earth's structure, made of solid iron-nickel |
focus | point below Earth’s surface where energy is first released in the form of seismic waves |
Richter Scale | scale that compares the magnitude of an earthquake recorded by seismographs. |
mohorovicic discontinuity | separates the crust and the upper mantle |
seismic wave | wave generated by an earthquake |
primary wave | seismic wave that causes rock particles to move back and forth in the same direction that the wave is traveling |
epicenter | point on Earth’s surface directly above the earthquake focus |
lithosphere | crust plus the rigid, upper mantle |
Mercalli | scale used to measure the strength of an earthquake based upon damage. |
asthenosphere | the part of upper mantle that is flowing |
earthquake | vibrations, or shaking, produced when rocks break along a fault |
crust | rigid, rocky outer surface of the Earth |