Earthquakes and Seismic Waves Vocab

Front

Shaking and trembling from rock movement beneath Earth's surface.

Back

Earthquakes

Front

Point on surface above focus

Back

Epicenter

Front

Seismic wave with shaking perpendicular to wave direction.

Back

S Wave

Front

Point beneath Earth's surface where rock first breaks and causes an earthquake

Back

Focus

Front

Seismic wave that compresses and expands the ground

Back

P Wave

Front

Seismic wave formed when P and S waves reach Earth's surface

Back

Surface Wave

Front

Scale rating earthquake magnitude by seismic wave size

Back

Richter Scale

Front

Device recording ground movements from seismic waves.

Back

Seismograph

Front

Scale rating earthquake shaking

Back

Modified Mercalli Scale

Front

Measurement of earthquake strength based on seismic waves and fault movement

Back

Magnitude