Faults and Earthquakes

Front

What is a fault?

Back

A fault is a fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock, which allows for the movement of the blocks relative to each other.

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.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

Front

What is the San Andreas Fault?

Back

The San Andreas Fault is a major transform fault located in California, known for its significant earthquake activity.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

Front

What is a normal fault?

Back

A normal fault is a type of fault where the hanging wall moves down relative to the foot wall, typically caused by extensional forces.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Front

What is a reverse fault?

Back

A reverse fault is a type of fault where the hanging wall moves up relative to the foot wall, typically caused by compressional forces.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-1

Front

What is a strike-slip fault?

Back

A strike-slip fault is a type of fault where rocks on either side move past each other sideways, typically caused by shearing stress.

Front

What are S waves?

Back

S waves, or secondary waves, are a type of seismic wave that moves through the Earth and can only travel through solids, not liquids.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

Front

What are surface waves?

Back

Surface waves are seismic waves that travel along the Earth's surface and are typically responsible for most of the damage during an earthquake.

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS4-1

Front

What is shearing stress?

Back

Shearing stress is a force that causes two adjacent parts of a material to slide past each other, often leading to strike-slip faults.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-5

Front

What is the foot wall in a fault?

Back

The foot wall is the block of rock that lies beneath the fault plane.