CH. 14 Vocabulary test study guide

Surface along which rocks move when they pass their elastic limit

fault

Measure of the energy released during an earthquake

magnitude

In an earthquake, the point below Earth’s surface where energy is released in the form of seismic waves

focus

Wave generated by an earthquake that travels through Earth

Seismic wave

Instrument used to register earthquake waves & record the time that each arrived

seismograph

Seismic wave that moves rock particles up and down in a backward rolling motion and side to side in a swaying motion

Surface wave

Seismic wave that moves rock particles back & forth in the same direction that the wave travels

Primary wave

Break in rock caused by tension forces, where rock above the fault surface moves down relative to the rock below the fault surface

Normal fault

Occurs when wet soil acts more like a liquid during an earthquake

Liquefaction

Seismic wave that moves rock particles at right angles to the direction of the wave

Secondary wave

Vibrations produced when rocks break along a fault

earthquake

Seismic sea wave that begins over an earthquake focus & can be highly destructive when it crashes on shore

tsunami

Break in rock caused by compressive forces, where rock above fault moves upward relative to the rock below the fault surface

Reverse fault

Break in rock caused by shear forces where rocks move past each other without much vertical movement

Strike-slip fault

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

epicenter