| Term | Definition |
|---|
| fault | surface along which rocks move when they pass their elastic limit and break |
| earthquake | vibrations produced when rocks break along a fault |
| normal fault | break in rock caused by tension forces, where rock above the fault surface moves down relative to the rock below the fault surface |
| reverse fault | break in rock caused by compressive forces, where rock above the fault surface moves upward relative to the rock below the fault surface |
| strike-slip fault | break in rock caused by shear forces where rocks move past each other without much vertical movement |
| seismic wave | wave generated by an earthquake |
| focus | in an earthquake, the point below Earth's surface where energy is released in the form of seismic waves |
| primary wave | seismic waves that moves rock particles back and forth in the same direction that the wave travels |
| secondary wave | seismic wave that moves rock particles at right angles to the direction of the wave |
| surface wave | seismic wave that moves rock particles up and down in a backward rolling motion and side to side in a swaying motion |
| epicenter | point on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's focus |
| seismograph | instrument used to register earthquake waves and record the time each arrived |
| magnitude | measure of the energy released during an earthquake |
| liquefaction | occurs when wet soil acts more like a liquid during an earthquake |
| tsunami | seismic sea wave that begins over an earthquake focus and can be highly destructive when it crashes on shore |
Combine with other sets
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