Earthquakes.GS
Shake it Baby!
Shake it Baby!
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USGS Earthquakes Powerful EarthquakesLargest Recorded Earthquake Learning Center
Earthquake Definition |
Earthquakes Shake Terribly and It's Not Your Fault.This site is purely informational. We aim to create a place where seismologists, geophysicists, geologists, and the general public can exchange ideas.. Please send contributions to admin@earthquakes.gs |
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What is the Definition of an Earthquake?An earthquake is a resulting burst of energy called a seismic wave. The wave of energy is created when tectonic plates or fault lines compress, expand, or move in opposite directions. The initial wave created by an earthquake is called the P wave. The P wave is longitudinal and does not create damages. The following S waves are transverse and shake things horizontally. The S waves are those that cause the structural changes on the mantle. There are also two types of surface waves. The love wave, primarily horizontal shaking, and the Rayleigh Wave; which is horizontal and vertical ground shaking. The magnitude or intensity of the waves is measured on the Richter Scale. The types of earthquakes are determined by how they are formed. They are the strike-slip, dip-slip,and subduction. The strike-slip moves back and forth, the dip-slip moves up and down, and the subduction puts one plate underneath another plate. The epicenter of an earthquake is where you see it at ground level. The hypocenter is where the quake originated beneath the earth. Both hypocenter and epicenter are important factors in determining earthquake predictability.
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