| Term | Definition |
|---|
| earthquake | a vibration in the Earth's crust caused by the rapid release of energy along a fault |
| seismic | term that means earthquake |
| foreshock | small quakes before a main shock |
| aftershock | small quakes after a main shock |
| elastic rebound theory | theory that explains the mechanism that creates earthquakes; the rocks "snap" like a rubber band |
| focus | point along a fault where movement actually occurs |
| epicenter | point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus |
| fault | a break in rock along which movement occurs |
| magnitude | measure of the energy release by an earthquake |
| primary wave | "back-and-forth" earthquake wave; fastest |
| secondary wave | "up-and-down" earthquake wave |
| surface wave | waves that only travel through the Earth's surface |
| seismograph | an instrument that records earthquake waves |
| tsunami | a seismic sea wave |
| strain | change in shape and volume of rocks due to stress |
| stress | force applied to rock |
| isostasy | balance of the crust floating on the mantle |
| compression | stress that squeezes rock |
| tension | stress that stretches rock |
| shear | stress that pushes rock in opposite directions |
| Richter Scale | a scale used to measure earthquake magnitude |
| microquake | earthquake with a magnitude less than 2.5 on the Richter Scale |
Combine with other sets
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