Earthquakes

Front

What is an earthquake?

Back

An earthquake is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves.

Front

What is the epicenter of an earthquake?

Back

The epicenter is the point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake.

Front

What is the focus of an earthquake?

Back

The focus, or hypocenter, is the point within the Earth where an earthquake originates.

Front

What are tectonic plates?

Back

Tectonic plates are large sections of the Earth's lithosphere that move and interact with each other, causing geological activity such as earthquakes.

Front

What is a fault line?

Back

A fault line is a fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock, which can lead to earthquakes when stress builds up and is released.

Front

What are seismic waves?

Back

Seismic waves are waves of energy that travel through the Earth, generated by the sudden release of energy during an earthquake.

Front

What are the three main types of seismic waves?

Back

The three main types of seismic waves are primary (P) waves, secondary (S) waves, and surface waves.

Front

How do tectonic plate movements cause earthquakes?

Back

Tectonic plate movements cause earthquakes by transferring energy to rocks at plate boundaries, leading to stress accumulation and eventual release.

Front

What is the relationship between earthquakes and fault lines?

Back

Earthquakes often occur along fault lines where stress has built up due to tectonic plate movements.

Front

What is the significance of 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.