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Earthquakes Vocab
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| earthquake | A sudden shaking or vibration of the ground caused by the movement of rock beneath the Earth’s surface. |
| fault line | A fracture or break in the Earth’s crust where blocks of rock move past each other. |
| tectonic plate | A large section of the Earth’s lithosphere that moves slowly over the mantle. |
| seismic waves | Vibrations that travel through the Earth carrying the energy released during an earthquake. |
| S Waves (Secondary Waves) | Slower seismic waves that move the ground side to side or up and down and can only travel through solids |
| P Waves (Primary Waves) | The fastest type of seismic wave that travels through solids and liquids, compressing and expanding the ground. |
| Focus (Hypocenter) | The point beneath the Earth’s surface where an earthquake starts. |
| Epicenter | The point on the Earth’s surface directly above the earthquake’s focus |
| Seismograph | An instrument that detects and records the vibrations of the ground caused by seismic waves |
| Seismogram | The actual recorded graph or digital record of ground motion during an earthquake. |
| magnitude | A measure of the energy released during an earthquake, often shown on the Richter or Moment Magnitude Scale. |
| Moment Magnitude Scale (Mw) | A modern scale used to measure earthquake energy more accurately for all sizes of earthquakes. |
| Pacific Ring of Fire | A horseshoe-shaped area around the Pacific Ocean known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity |
| Subduction Zone | An area where one tectonic plate slides beneath another, often causing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions |
| electrostatic repulsion inside the nucleus | Protons repel: All protons in the nucleus have a positive charge and, according to the laws of electrostatics, repel each other. This electrostatic force tries to push the nucleus apart. |
| radioactive decay | the spontaneous process where unstable atomic nuclei release energy and particles to become more stable; the process where unstable isotopes spontaneously transform into a more stable atom |
| isotope | the spontaneous process where unstable atomic nuclei release energy and particles to become more stable |
| rock cycle | the continuous process that creates, breaks down, and reforms rocks |
| igneous rock | formed from cooled magma or lava |
| metamorphic rock | formed when existing rocks change due to heat and pressure or water - changed rock |
| sedimentary rock | formed from compacted sediments - layers - created by weathering and erosion - often contains fossils |
| intrusive rock | igneous rock that is slow cooling and forms big crystals |
| extrusive rock | igneous rock that is fast cooling and has small crystals |
| mechanical weathering | physical weathering; physically breaks down rocks into smaller pieces without changing the rocks chemical composition; freeze/thaw |
| chemical weathering | alters the rock's composition through chemical reactions; oxidation/carbonation |
| sediment | any solid material, such as rock, soil or organic maatter, that is moved and deposited by wind, water, or ice |
| deposition | sediments that drop off to build layers |
| asthenosphere | the upper layer of the earth's mantle, below the lithosphere, in which there is relatively low resistance to plastic flow and convection is thought to occur. |
| ocean trench | a long, narrow, and deep depression in the seafloor formed by the collision of tectonic plates, a process called subduction |
| ocean rift (valley) | the seafloor is pulled apart, creating a long, linear depression on the ocean floor; occurs at a mid-ocean ridge - new oceanic crust is formed as magma rises from the Earth's mantle to fill the gap. |
| seafloor spreading | underwater rift valleys are the primary location for seafloor spreading; new oceanic crust is created at mid-ocean ridges, pushing older crust away from the ridge, gradual expanding ocean basins;Seafloor spreading occurs at divergent plate boundaries, |
| ridge | a continuous submarine mountain range formed by tectonic plates pulling apart, a process known as a divergent plate boundary. Magma from the Earth's mantle rises to fill the gap |
Created by:
ejanznc