click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
earthquakes
earthquake terms, words, and defintions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Epicenter | Point of the earths surface directly above an earthquakes focus. |
| Fault | Fracture that occurs when rocks break and that results in relative movement of opposing sides. |
| Focus | Point deep inside earth where enrgy is released,causing and earthquake. |
| Lava | Molten rock flowing onto earths surface. |
| Lithosphere | Rigid layer of earth about 100km thick, made of the crust and a part of the upper mantle. |
| Magnitude | A measure of the energy released be an earthquake. |
| Rifts | Long crack, fissure, or through that forms between tectonic plates moving apart at plate boundaries. |
| Seismic Safe | Describes the ability of structures to stand up against the vibrations caused by an earthquake. |
| Seismic Waves | Earthquake waves, including primary waves,secondary waves, and surface waves. |
| Surface Waves | Slowest and largest of the seismic waves. |
| Seismograph | Instrument used to record seismic waves. |
| Tsunami | Powerful seismic sea wave that begins over an ocean floor earthquake, can reach 30m in height when approching land, and can cause destruction in coastal areas. |
| Volcanoes | Cone shaped hill or mountain formed when hot magma, solids and gas erupt onto earths surface through a vent. |
| Pyroclastic Flow | Another hazard for inhabitants of Montserrat. |
| Richter Scale | The amptitude of the highest record of seismic wave. |