Earthquakes Flashcards
The block of rock that forms the lower half of the fault
Footwall
A fold in a rock that bends upwards in the middle to form a bowl
Syncline
The stress force that squeezes rock until it folds or breaks
Compression
A force that acts on rock to change its shape or volume
Stress
A large area of flat land elevated high above sea level
Plateau
The point beneath earth’s surface where rock under stress breaks and triggers an earthquake
Focus
4 instruments used while measuring faults
Tiltmeters
Creep meters
Laser ranging device
Gps satellites
The block of rock that forms the upper half of the fault
Hanging wall
A stress force that pulls on the rock stretching it causing it to become thinner in the middle
Tension
A break in the earth’s crust
Fault
3 commonly used ways to measure an earthquake
Mercalli scale, Richter scale, moment magnitude scale
A deep valley that forms where two plates move apart
Rift Valley
Liquefaction
Saturated soil loses strength and stiffness in response to any applied stress
The shaking and trembling that results from the movement of rock beneath earth’s surface
Earthquake
A vibration that travels through earth carrying the energy released during an earthquake
Seismic wave