Wave Anatomy
Unit Vocabulary
Forces Within Earth
Measuring & Locating Earthquakes
Hazards & Warnings
100

The highest point of a wave.

What is the crest?

100

The point of failure where seismic waves originate. 

What is a fault?
100

The deformation of materials in response to stress. 

What is strain?

100

The epicenter of an earthquake is located (above or below) the focus. 

What is above/at Earth's surface? 

100

a large wave generated by the vertical motion of the seafloor during an earthquake.

What is a Tsunami?

200

The lowest point of a wave.

What is the trough?

200

During an earthquake, ______ , can be described as when the walls of a building collapse and the floors fall down one on top of the other. 

What is pancaking?

200

This occurs when stress exceeds the elastic limit, resulting in permanent deformation.

What is plastic deformation?

200

Scientists can identify the epicenter of an earthquake with data from_____ seismograph machines.

What are _3__ seismograph machines?

200

An area that has not experienced significant earthquakes for a long time, even though it is located on an active fault. 

What is a seismic gap?
300

The distance between waves.

What is the wavelength?

300

This type of wave causes rocks to move both up and down and from side to side at the same time while energy passes through.    

What is a surface wave?

300
The energy produced by a seismic wave

What is magnitude?

300

The amount of energy released during an earthquake.

What is an earthquake's magnitude?

300

This occurs when seismic vibrations cause nearly saturated ground to behave like a liquid.

What is soil liquefication?

400

The line through the center of the wave where matter would rest without energy.

What is the rest position?

400

A transverse seismic wave which causes rocks to move perpendicular (at right angles) to the direction the energy is traveling.

What is an S-wave (secondary wave)?

400

A fast, longitudinal seismic wave that squeezes and pushes rocks (compressions and rarefactions) in the direction along which the energy is traveling.


What is a P-wave (primary wave)?

400

A scale that rates the types of damage and other effects of an earthquake as noted by observers during and after an earthquake happens. 

What is the modified Mercalli scale?

400

These TWO factors are used by seismologists to determine the probability of an earthquake in an area. 

What are the history of earthquakes AND the rate of stress & strain buildup?

500

How often a wave occurs in a given distance.

What is the frequency of a wave?

500

The amount of damage done to structures involved in an earthquake.

What is the INTENSITY of an earthquake?

500

This kind of stress is common at strike-slip faults and acts on Earth's rocks by causing the material to twist.

What is shear?

500
A rating scale that measures the energy released by an earthquake, taking into account the size of the fault rupture, the amount of movement along the fault, and the rock's stiffness. 

What is the Moment Magnitude scale?

500

A large earthquake would be more likely to occur in a place that has experienced a magnitude-7.5 earthquake 20 years ago OR at a location of seismic gap that last had an earthquake 6o years ago?

What is at a location of seismic gap that last had an earthquake 6o years ago?