aftershock | Small earthquake that follows a main shock.
(See page(s) 395)
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Benioff zone | Distinct earthquake zone that begins at an oceanic trench and slopes landward and downward into Earth at an angle of about 30° to 60°.
(See page(s) 400)
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body wave | Seismic wave that travels through Earth’s interior.
(See page(s) 383)
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circum-Pacific belt | Major belt around the edge of the Pacific Ocean on which most composite volcanoes are located and where many earthquakes occur.
(See page(s) 400)
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depth of focus | Distance between the focus and the epicenter of an earthquake.
(See page(s) 387)
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earthquake | A trembling or shaking of the ground caused by the sudden release of energy stored in the rocks beneath the surface.
(See page(s) 380)
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elastic rebound theory | The sudden release of progressively stored strain in rocks results in movement along a fault.
(See page(s) 380)
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epicenter | The point on Earth’s surface directly above the focus of an earthquake.
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focus | The point within Earth from which seismic waves originate in an earthquake.
(See page(s) 383)
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intensity | A measure of an earthquake’s size by its effect on people and buildings.
(See page(s) 387)
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island arc | A curved line of islands.
(See page(s) 400)
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Love wave | A type of surface seismic wave that causes the ground to move side to side in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the direction the wave is traveling.
(See page(s) 383)
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magnitude | A measure of the energy released during an earthquake.
(See page(s) 388)
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Mediterranean-Himalayan belt | A major concentration of earthquakes and composite volcanoes that runs through the Mediterranean Sea, crosses the Mideast and the Himalaya, and passes through the East Indies.
(See page(s) 400)
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modified Mercalli scale | Scale expressing intensities of earthquakes (judged on amount of damage done) in Roman numerals ranging from I to XII.
(See page(s) 387)
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moment magnitude | An earthquake magnitude calculated from the strength of the rock, surface area of the fault rupture, and the amount of rock displacement along the fault.
(See page(s) 388)
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P wave | A compressional wave (seismic wave) in which rock vibrates parallel to the direction of wave propagation.
(See page(s) 383)
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Rayleigh wave | A type of surface seismic wave that behaves like a rolling ocean wave and causes the ground to move in an elliptical path.
(See page(s) 383)
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Richter scale | A numerical scale of earthquake magnitudes.
(See page(s) 388)
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seismic sea wave | See tsunami.
(See page(s) 395)
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seismic wave | A wave of energy produced by an earthquake.
(See page(s) 380)
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seismogram | Paper record of earth vibration.
(See page(s) 386)
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seismograph | A seismometer with a recording device that produces a permanent record of Earth motion.
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surface wave | A seismic wave that travels on Earth’s surface.
(See page(s) 383)
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S wave | A seismic wave propagated by a shearing motion, which causes rock to vibrate perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation.
(See page(s) 383)
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travel-time curve | A plot of seismic-wave arrival times against distance.
(See page(s) 386)
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tsunami (seismic sea wave) | Huge ocean wave produced by displacement of the sea floor; also called seismic sea wave.
(See page(s) 395)
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