Front

What are seismic waves?

Back

Seismic waves are waves of energy that travel through the Earth, typically as a result of an earthquake or other geological activity.

Front

What is the difference between P-waves and S-waves?

Back

P-waves (primary waves) are compressional waves that travel fastest through solids, liquids, and gases, while S-waves (secondary waves) are shear waves that only travel through solids and are slower than P-waves.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

Front

What is the definition of an earthquake?

Back

An earthquake is the sudden shaking of the ground caused by the movement of tectonic plates, resulting in the release of energy in the Earth's crust.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

Front

What is the epicenter of an earthquake?

Back

The epicenter is the point on the Earth's surface directly above the location where an earthquake originates, known as the focus.

Front

What does the term 'wavelength' refer to in the context of waves?

Back

Wavelength is the distance between two consecutive crests or troughs in a wave.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

Front

What are the main types of seismic waves?

Back

The main types of seismic waves are body waves (P-waves and S-waves) and surface waves (Love waves and Rayleigh waves).

Front

How do seismic waves help in understanding the Earth's interior?

Back

Seismic waves provide information about the Earth's interior structure by analyzing how they travel through different materials and their speed variations.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-5

Front

What is a seismograph?

Back

A seismograph is an instrument that measures and records the motion of the ground during an earthquake, allowing scientists to analyze seismic waves.

Front

What is the Richter scale?

Back

The Richter scale is a logarithmic scale used to measure the magnitude of an earthquake based on the amplitude of seismic waves recorded by a seismograph.

Front

What is the relationship between the depth of an earthquake and its intensity?

Back

Generally, shallower earthquakes tend to cause more intense shaking and damage compared to deeper earthquakes, which may be felt less strongly at the surface.