Earthquake Terminology

Front

Lithosphere

Back

the crust and upper area of the mantle.

Front

Plate

Back

floats on the partly melted rock in the earth's mantle.

Front

Theory of Plate Tectonics

Back

The idea that the earth's crust is made up of moving plates.

Front

Plate Boundary

Back

places where the plates meet.

Front

Earthquake

Back

The rocks along the plate boundaries shift suddenly and release their stored energy.

Front

Fault

Back

Breaks in the earth's surface along which rock can move.