SCIENCE VOCAB - thursday - mroz

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Earthquake

The shaking of the Earth's crust, resulting from stresses that

cause the sudden movement of rocks deep underground.

Crust

The surface layer of the Earth.

Mantle

The largest layer of the Earth, which is located directly below the crust

Inner Core

The solid center of the Earth, which is made of extremely hot metal under great pressure

Outer Core

The layer of the Earth surrounding the inner core, which is made of hot liquid metal.

Tectonic Plates

The solid rock pieces that make up the crust of the Earth's surface. Areas where the crust is being formed or destroyed are called plate boundaries.

Compression

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The stress to the Earth's crust caused when plates are squeezed together.

Tension

The stress to the Earth's crust caused when the plates are pulled apart.

Sheraing

The stress caused when plates rub up against each other in

opposite directions, tearing the Earth's crust.

Fault

A zone of weakness in the Earth's crust where it has cracked or is ready to crack

Hypocenter

Another name for the focus, which is the exact point within the crust where a rupture occurs

Epicenter

The location on the surface of the Earth immediately above the focus of the earthquake

Tsunami

A giant wave caused by an earthquake on the ocean floor.

Seismic waves

The energy waves sent out through the Earth from the hypocenter of an earthquake

After shock

Many smaller quakes that follow a large earthquake.

Rupture

a break along a fault

Seismograph

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an instrument used to record motion of the ground cause by an earthquake.

Aftershocks

An aftershock is a smaller earthquake that occurs after a larger earthquake, in the same area and along the same fault line. It is caused by the adjustment of the Earth's crust after the main earthquake, and can continue for days, weeks, or even months after the initial earthquake.

Seismometer

A **seismometer** is a scientific instrument used to measure and record the motion of the ground during an earthquake. It detects and records the vibrations caused by seismic waves, which are generated by the movement of tectonic plates or other geological phenomena. Seismometers are used to study earthquakes and to monitor seismic activity in areas prone to earthquakes.

Focus

**Focus** is the point at which rays of light, sound, or other radiation converge after being refracted or reflected. It is the point where an image appears sharpest and clearest. In optics, the distance between the lens or mirror and the focus is called the focal length.

Richter Scale

The Richter Scale is a numerical scale used to measure the magnitude of an earthquake. It was developed by Charles Richter in 1935 and is based on the amplitude of the largest seismic wave recorded on a seismogram. The scale ranges from 0 to 10, with each increase of one representing a tenfold increase in the magnitude of the earthquake.

Seismologist

A seismologist is a scientist who studies earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other planet-like bodies.