Elastic Rebound- Explanation for how energy is spread during earthquakes. As rocks on opposite sides of a fault are subjected to force and shift, they accumulate energy and slowly deform until their internal strength is exceeded.
Earthquake- A series of vibrations induced in the earth's crust by the abrupt rupture and rebound of rocks in which elastic strain has been slowly accumulating.
Intensity- a number (written as a Roman numeral) describing the severity of an earthquake
Magnitude- Measurement of the maximum motion recorded by a seismograph.
Seismograph- An instrument that measures and records details of earthquakes, such as force and duration.
Seimology- the branch of science concerned with earthquakes and related phenomena.
Epicenter- The point on the earth's surface vertically above the focus of an earthquake.
Focus- the point beneath Earth's surface where rock breaks under stress and the plates shift and that is what causes the earthquake.
Tsunami- A giant wave (or series of waves) created by an undersea earthquake, volcanic eruption or landslide.
Seismic Gap- A seismic gap is a segment of an active fault known to produce significant earthquakes