3.4 Earthquakes Vocabulary flashcard

Front

Focus

Back

The point beneath Earth's surface where rock breaks under stress and causes an earthquake.

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Fault

Back

A break in the earth's crust.

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Epicenter

Back

Point on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's focus.

Front

Primary Wave (P Wave)

Back

Seismic wave that moves rock particles back and forth in the same direction that the wave travels.

Front

Surface Wave

Back

A type of seismic wave that forms when P waves and S waves reach Earth's surface.

Front

Seismic Wave

Back

A wave of energy that travels through the Earth's layers, and is a result of an earthquake.

Front

Tsunami

Back

A giant wave usually caused by an earthquake beneath the ocean floor.

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Aftershock

Back

Smaller earthquakes that occur in the same general area after a larger earthquake.

Front

Magnitude

Back

A measure of the energy released during an earthquake.

Front

Richter Scale

Back

A scale used to measure the magnitude of an earthquake.