Earthquake
hideAn earthquake (also known as a tremor or temblor) is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph. The moment magnitude of an earthquake is conventionally reported, or the related and mostly obsolete Richter magnitude, with magnitude 3 or lower earthquakes being mostly imperceptible and magnitude 7 causing serious damage over large areas. Intensity of shaking is measured on the modified Mercalli scale.
At the Earth's surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by shaking and sometimes displacing the ground. When a large earthquake epicenter is located offshore, the seabed sometimes suffers sufficient displacement to cause a tsunami. The shaking in earthquakes can also trigger landslides and occasionally volcanic activity.
In its most generic sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismic event — whether a natural phenomenon or an event caused by humans — that generates seismic waves. Earthquakes are caused mostly by rupture of geological faults, but also by volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear experiments. An earthquake's point of initial rupture is called its focus or hypocenter. The term epicenter refers to the point at ground level directly above the hypocenter.
For more information about Earthquake, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with earthquake
Deep creep means milder, more frequent earthquakes along Southern California's San Jacinto fault
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 08, 2009 |
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With an average of four mini-earthquakes per day, Southern California's San Jacinto fault constantly adjusts to make it a less likely candidate for a major earthquake than its quiet neighbor to the east, the ...
Earthquakes actually aftershocks of 19th century quakes
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 04, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- When small earthquakes shake the central U.S., citizens often fear the rumbles are signs a big earthquake is coming. Fortunately, new research instead shows that most of these earthquakes ...
Earthquake early-warning system soon to enter testing
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 20, 2009 |
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It is the Holy Grail of seismology, sought by earthquake scientists for more than a century: the ability to provide advance warning of the Big One, so the public can react before a massive quake unleashes its rolling thunder ...
Research gives glimpse of tectonic history on Puget Sound-region fault zones
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 19, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- New research on the Kitsap Peninsula, at the west edge of Washington state's Puget Sound, finds evidence that land was raised at least 6 feet by ancient earthquakes.
Satellite data look behind the scenes of deadly earthquake
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 15, 2009 |
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Using satellite radar data and GPS measurements, Chinese researchers have explained the exceptional geological events leading to the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake that killed nearly 90 000 people in China's Sichuan ...
Colossal quake may hit Sumatra in 30 years: geologist
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 15, 2009 |
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A colossal earthquake may hit Indonesia's Sumatra island within 30 years, triggering a tsunami and making last month's deadly temblor look tiny by comparison, a geologist has warned.
Killer earthquakes shake scientific thought
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 11, 2009 |
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A sudden cluster of massive earthquakes which has shaken Asia-Pacific communities and likely left thousands dead has also jolted some scientists, who are starting to question conventional thought.
Scientists obtain rocks moving into seismogenic zone
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 09, 2009 |
3 / 5 (1) |
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An international group of scientists aboard the Deep-Sea Drilling Vessel CHIKYU, operated by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), ...
Australian continent to blame for Samoa, Sumatra quakes
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 08, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The recent earthquakes in the Pacific and Indonesia have one University of Queensland researcher questioning whether the two are related.
Wi-Fi signals can see through walls
Oct 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the University of Utah, USA, have discovered that variations in signal strengths in wireless networks can be used to "see" movements of people on the other side of walls or ...
New way to monitor faults may help predict earthquakes
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 01, 2009 |
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Scientists at the Carnegie Institution have found a way to monitor the strength of geologic faults deep in the Earth. This finding could prove to be a boon for earthquake prediction by pinpointing those faults that are likely ...
New Sumatra quake takes seismologists by surprise
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 01, 2009 |
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The huge earthquake that hit Sumatra occurred at a deep, unexpected location, illustrating the dangerously complex geological mosaic in this area, a seismologist told AFP on Thursday.
Major quakes can weaken seismic faults far away, scientists say
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Sep 30, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- U.S. seismologists have found evidence that the massive 2004 earthquake that triggered killer tsunamis throughout the Indian Ocean weakened at least a portion of California's famed San Andreas ...
Taiwan scientist develops earthquake alarm
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Sep 16, 2009 |
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A Taiwanese scientist has developed an earthquake alarm that could give people a crucial 15-second warning in case of a tremor, one of his team said Wednesday.
New way to track quakes
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Sep 08, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- University of Edinburgh scientists have developed a new technique to monitor movements beneath the Earth's surface.
