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Earthquakes

Science

Earthquakes Chapter Video

Earthquakes Chapter Video

aftershock

a smaller earthquake that follows a bigger one
aftershock Simple Definition

earthquake

a sudden shaking of rock in the Earth's crust
earthquake Simple Definition

epicenter

the point directly above the focus of an earthquake, on Earth’s surface
epicenter Simple Definition

fault

a break in Earth's crust along which rocks move
fault Simple Definition

focus

the underground point where an earthquake starts
focus Simple Definition

liquefaction

the shaking during an earthquake which makes wet soil act like a liquid
liquefaction Simple Definition

magnitude

the strength of an earthquake
magnitude Simple Definition

mercalli scale

a measure of the intensity of, and damage caused by an earthquake
mercalli scale Simple Definition

moment magnitude scale

a scale of the energy released by an earthquake
moment magnitude scale Simple Definition

normal fault

a break in rock caused by tension forces, which causes rocks to slide downward
normal fault Simple Definition

primary wave

a seismic wave that vibrates rock particles in the direction that it travels
primary wave Simple Definition

reverse fault

a fault caused by compression, which pushes rock upwards
reverse fault Simple Definition

richter scale

a measurement of earthquake magnitude, based on seismic wave size
richter scale Simple Definition

secondary wave

a seismic wave that moves the ground up and down
secondary wave Simple Definition

seismic gap

an area of few recent earthquakes, but with a history of strong quakes
seismic gap Simple Definition

seismic wave

an energy wave caused by an earthquake
seismic wave Simple Definition

seismogram

a record of seismic waves produced by a seismograph
seismogram Simple Definition

seismograph

an instrument that records seismic waves
seismograph Simple Definition

stress

the force of an object pressing, pushing, or pulling on another object
stress Simple Definition

strike slip fault

a break in rock where the two blocks move sideways, with little vertical movement
strike slip fault Simple Definition

surface wave

a seismic wave that moves on a surface, it causes both up-and-down and side-to-side movement
surface wave Simple Definition

tsunami

a huge wave caused by an underwater earthquake
tsunami Simple Definition

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