Earthquakes

Question 1

Seismology

Answer 1

The study of earthquakes

Question 2

deformation

Answer 2

Any alteration of shape or dimensions of a body caused by stresses, thermal expansion or contraction, chemical or metallurgical transformations, or shrinkage and expansions due to moisture change.

Question 3

elastic rebound

Answer 3

the sudden return of elastically deformed rock to its uninformed shape

Question 4

seismic waves

Answer 4

vibrations that travel through Earth carrying the energy released during an earthquake

Question 5

P wave

Answer 5

atrial depolarization

Question 6

S wave

Answer 6

A type of seismic wave that moves the ground up and down or side to side

Question 7

seismograph

Answer 7

A device that records ground movements caused by seismic waves as they move through Earth

Question 8

seismogram

Answer 8

A tracing of earthquake motion that is created by a seismograph

Question 9

epicenter

Answer 9

Point on Earth’s surface directly above an earthquake’s focus

Question 10

focus

Answer 10

Point at the depth where the rocks ruptured to produce earthquakes; place where quake waves originate

Question 11

gap hypothesis

Answer 11

a hypothesis that is based on the idea that a major earthquake is more likely to occur along the part of an active fault where no earthquakes have occurred for a certain period of time

Question 12

seismic gap

Answer 12

An area along a fault where there has not been any earthquake activity for a long period of time