Earthquake VocabularyNotecards

Weathering• Process of breaking down the Earth’s material by natural processes of water, wind, ice, and chemicals into smaller pieces or sediments

•Destructive Process

Erosion•Weathered or broken down rock and other material are moved by natural processes, such as water or wind, from place to place

•Destructive Movement

Deposition• Process where sediments are settled or laid down in a new location

•Constructive Process

Constructive Force• Force that builds up features on the Earth’s surface or on an existing landform

Destructive Force• Forces that destroy features on the Earth’s surface

Focus• Point of origin underground where the rocks break producing vibrations and creating an earthquake

Earth’s Surface

Fault Line

DRAW

Epicenter• Point above ground on the surface directly above the focus

Earth’s Surface

Fault Line

DRAW

Compression• Force that squeezes rock or an object until it folds or breaks

Tension• Force that occurs to stretch an object or rock

Shear• Force that pushes a mass of rock or an object in opposite directions

Fault Line Types•Normal Fault – blocks of crust are pulled away and one block falls down–Occurs at Divergent Boundary with Tension Force

•Reverse Fault – blocks of crust are pushed together and one block slides up–Occurs at Convergent Boundary with Compression

Force

• Strike-Slip Fault – blocks of crust slide past each other with no up or down motion–Occurs at Transform Boundary with Shear Force

Normal Fault Pictures **Do NOT Copy**

blocks of crust are pulled away and one block falls down

Reverse Fault Pictures **Do NOT Copy**blocks of crust are pushed together and one block slides up

Strike-Slip Fault Pictures **Do NOT Copy**blocks of crust slide past each other with no up or down

motion

Types of Seismic Waves• P-Wave (Primary) – first wave from the focus

–Push-pull wave that can travel through solids & liquids

–Fastest wave

• S-Wave (Secondary) – slow wave from the focus–Vibrates crust side to side & up or down–Travels only through solids

• Surface Wave – slowest wave from the epicenter–Come from P- & S-Waves that reach the surface–Produce most damage–Stronger near the epicenter

Richter Scale•Measures strength of seismic waves on a seismograph

• Scale of 1-10–10 is the strongest–Each number is 10 times stronger than the

number before

Richter Scale **Do NOT Copy**

When You’re Finished• BBC Plate Tectonics Test Bite **Headphones**

• Fault Motion Simulations

• Constructive Forces

• Destructive Forces

• Earthquake Interactive

• Forces of Nature **Takes a Few Minutes to Load**

• Beat the Quake **Headphones**

• Shake, Rattle, & Slide **Headphones**