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
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News tagged with earthquake
Tremors between slip events: More evidence of great quake danger to Seattle
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
20 hours ago |
4.3 / 5 (6) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- For most of a decade, scientists have documented unfelt and slow-moving seismic events, called episodic tremor and slip, showing up in regular cycles under the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state and Vancouver ...
Engineers help secure California highways and roads
16 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Sprays of dirt flew out of a soil box that held a retaining wall as it violently shook from a simulated 7.4 magnitude earthquake. The wall was put to test recently by engineers at the UC San Diego Englekirk ...
Underwater gas may hold clues on Turkey quake risk
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
17 hours ago |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
Natural gas that lies under Turkey's Marmara Sea close to Istanbul could provide advance warning of an earthquake experts believe will hit the country's largest city, scientists said on Tuesday.
USGS monitoring Twitter for earthquake details
Dec 15, 2009 |
3 / 5 (1) |
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(AP) -- OMG! Earthquake!
Search results for earthquake
Scientists Investigate Cause of 'Singing Dunes'
23 hours ago |
4.1 / 5 (14) |
7
(PhysOrg.com) -- In more than 30 locations around the world, the phenomenon of singing sand dunes has intrigued explorers, tourists, and scientists. When an avalanche occurs or even when the sand is pushed ...
Unique 'Climate One Stop' Web Site Unveiled in Copenhagen
15 hours ago |
3.2 / 5 (5) |
2
There's a storm brewing -- a storm of information, that is, in climate and environmental research. People are wading through the turbulence, trying to make sense of it all.
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