Related topics: tectonic plates , tsunami , quake , san andreas fault , seismic activity
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.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with earthquake
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 ...
Geologists blame gas drilling for Indonesia mud disaster
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 30, 2008 |
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A resounding vote of international petroleum geologists from around the globe concluded that the mud volcano was triggered by drilling of a nearby gas exploration well. This may have implications for compensation ...
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.
New data: Mega-quake could strike near Seattle
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Aug 16, 2009 |
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Using sophisticated seismometers and GPS devices, scientists have been able to track minute movements along two massive tectonic plates colliding 25 miles or so underneath Washington state's Puget Sound basin. Their early ...
A New Cloaking Method: This is not a 'Star Trek' or 'Harry Potter' Story (w/ Video)
Aug 17, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- University of Utah mathematicians developed a new cloaking method, and it's unlikely to lead to invisibility cloaks like those used by Harry Potter or Romulan spaceships in "Star Trek." Instead, ...
Hawaiian hot spot has deep roots
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 03, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (11) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Hawaii may be paradise for vacationers, but for geologists it has long been a puzzle. Plate tectonic theory readily explains the existence of volcanoes at boundaries where plates split apart ...
China Building 30-Mile Bridge Connecting Hong Kong to Guangdong Province
Dec 18, 2009 |
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China Daily reports the commencement of the 30-mile Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the longest sea bridge under construction world-wide. The six-lane expressway will cut travel time from three-hours to around ...
Massive quake moves NZealand closer to Australia
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jul 22, 2009 |
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A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake last week has moved the south of New Zealand closer to Australia, scientists said Wednesday.
Extraterrestrial platinum was 'stirred' into the Earth
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jul 30, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A research program aimed at using platinum as an exploration guide for nickel has for the first time been able to put a time scale on the planet’s large-scale convection processes.
Potential for large earthquake off coast of Sumatra remains large
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 03, 2008 |
4.6 / 5 (10) |
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The subduction zone that brought us the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake and tsunami is ripe for yet another large event, despite a sequence of quakes that occurred in the Mentawai Islands area in 2007, according to a group ...
Tremors on southern San Andreas Fault may mean increased quake risk
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jul 09, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Increases in mysterious underground tremors observed in several active earthquake fault zones around the world could signal a build-up of stress at locked segments of the faults and presumably ...
Typhoons trigger earthquakes on Taiwan: scientists
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jun 10, 2009 |
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Surprised scientists say that typhoons which hit Taiwan unleash long, slow earthquakes, a phenomenon that may save the island from devastating temblors.
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 ...
Chinese earthquake provides lessons for future
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jul 21, 2008 |
4.8 / 5 (8) |
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The May 12 Sichuan earthquake in China was unexpectedly large. Analysis of the area, however, now shows that topographic characteristics of the highly mountainous area identified the mountain range as active and could have ...
Geologists study China earthquake for glimpse into future
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jul 06, 2008 |
4.8 / 5 (8) |
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The May 12 earthquake that rocked Sichuan Province in China was the first there in recorded history and unexpected in its magnitude. Now a team of geoscientists is looking at the potential for future earthquakes due to earthquake-induced ...
