Earthquakes Quiz Review

seismic waves

vibrations that travel through Earth carrying the energy released during an earthquake

What is an earthquake?

a sudden release of energy in the earths crust caused by the release of stress accumulated along geological faults

What is a primary wave?

the fastest wave that can move through solid and liquid, moves in a push pull motion

What is a secondary wave?

second fastest wave that can only travel through solids, moves in a side to side motion

What is a surface level wave?

the slowest type of wave that moves like ripples on a pond, the most destructive type of wave

What is a fault?

A natural break or crack in the rocks that make up earth's crust

What is a seismologist?

the scientist who studies earthquakes

What is the Richter scale?

a scale that measures the amount of energy released during an earthquake

What is the Mercalli scale?

measures the amount of damage and intensity of an earthquake

What are some of the causes of Earthquakes?

plate movement; movement along a fault; landslides; volcanic eruptions; etc.

What are the 4 types of faults?

normal, transform (strike slip), and reverse

What is a normal fault?

where two blocks of rock are pulled apart by tension, one slips down below the other

What is a Transform (strike/slip) fault?

where two blocks of rock slide past each other in opposite directions, San Andreas is an example of this

What is a reverse fault?

where two blocks of rock are pushed together by compression, one side moves up relative to the other, causes tsunamis

What is a transform boundary?

where plates slide past one another

What is a seismograph?

an instrument that measures and records details of earthquakes

What is the focus of an earthquake?

the point inside the earth where the earthquake originiates

What is the epicenter of an earthquake?

the point on the earth's surface directly above the focus

What kind of waves are produced by earthquakes?

seismic waves