Earthquakes Flashcards
ring of fire
The Ring of Fire is a region around much of the rim of the Pacific Ocean where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur.
Strike-slip fault
fracture in the rocks of Earth’s crust in which the rock masses slip past one another parallel to the strike
Normal fault
inclined fractures where the blocks have mostly shifted vertically.
Reverse fault
caused by compressional forces and results in shortening
P-waves
primary wave or pressure wave
S-waves
seismic waves produced by an earthquake.
epicenter
the point on the earth’s surface vertically above the focus of an earthquake.
focus
the center of interest or activity.
Richter magnitude scale
assigns a number to quantify the amount of seismic energy released by an earthquake
explosive volcano
A Pelean eruption is associated with explosive outbursts that generate pyroclastic flows, dense mixtures of hot volcanic fragments and gas described in the section Lava, gas, and other hazards.
nonexplosive volcano
These eruptions produce relatively calm flows of lava in huge amounts
Krakatoa
Krakatoa, also transcribed Krakatau, is a caldera in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra in the Indonesian province of Lampung.
Yellowstone supervolcano
The Yellowstone Caldera, sometimes referred to as the Yellowstone Supervolcano, is a volcanic caldera and supervolcano in Yellowstone National Park in the Western United States.
San Andreas fault
The San Andreas Fault is a continental transform fault that extends roughly 1,200 kilometers through California.
Mid-oceanic ridge
a continuous range of undersea volcanic mountains
