Earthquakes & Volcanoes

vocabulary

earthquake:

The vibrations in the ground that result from movement along breaks in Earth's crust.

fault:

A large fracture of rock along which rocks move. Usually near plate boundaries.

transform boundary:

The place where 2 or more plates slide past each other, earthquakes usually happen here.

seismic waves:

Waves that travel through Earth, caused by earthquakes.

focus:

The location deep inside the earth where the energy of an earthquake is released (where the earthquake starts).

epicenter:

The location on Earth's surface directly above the focus (where most of the damage is caused).

Richter Scale:

A scale of magnitude that tells how much energy is released by the earthquake.

tsunami:

A result of an earthquake that occurs on the ocean floor.

magnitude:

Measured as the strength of an earthquake. A scale up to 10.

Seismograph:

A device that measures the strength of an earthquake.

The Ring of Fire:

Area around the Pacific Ocean known for frequent earthquakes and volcanoes.

active volcano:

Erupting or likely to erupt.

dormant volcano:

A volcano that is not erupting now, but that may erupt in the future.

extinct volcano:

A volcano that has not erupted for thousands of years and probably will not erupt again.