Geography- Earthquakes Flashcards
Earthquake
The release of sudden and extreme energy that is caused shifting in the earth’s crust.
Types of plate boundaries
Converging and transforming
Most earthquakes occur
On plate boundaries
Earthquakes occur
Where two plates grind past one another
Subduction zones
Associates with the formation of new crustal material at mid-oceanic ridges and rift valleys.
Epicenter
Exactly perpendicular to the focus.
Primary waves
Fastest
Secondary waves
Strongest
Higher amplitude
Rayleigh waves
Roll the ground
Seismograph
An instrument that records earthquakes
Richter scale
Numbers
Measures energy waves emitted by earthquakes.
Each level is 10x stronger than the previous level.
Mercalli scale
Records the effect and damage caused by an earthquake
Seismogram
Trace, drawn by the seismograph
