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In its most general sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismic event that generates seismic waves. Earthquakes can occur naturally or be induced by human activities, such as mining, fracking, and nuclear tests. The initial point of rupture is called the hypocenter or focus, while the ground level directly above it is the epicenter.
Where the plates meet, their relative motion determines the type of plate boundary (or fault): convergent, divergent, or transform. The relative movement of the plates typically ranges from zero to 10 cm annually. [5] Faults tend to be geologically active, experiencing earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain-building, and oceanic trench formation.
Thrust fault: Active: 2008 Sichuan (M8.0) Lost River Fault: Idaho, United States: Normal: Active: 1983 Borah Peak (M6.9) Lusatian Fault: Germany: Thrust fault: Macquarie Fault Zone >400: South Pacific Ocean: Fault (geology)#Strike-slip faults: Active: 1989 Maquarie Isl. (8.2), 2008 Macquarie Island earthquake (M7.1) Mae Chan Fault: 120 ...
The earthquake cycle refers to the phenomenon that earthquakes repeatedly occur on the same fault as the result of continual stress accumulation and periodic stress release. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Earthquake cycles can occur on a variety of faults including subduction zones and continental faults.
Energy release associated with rapid movement on active faults is the cause of most earthquakes. Faults may also displace slowly, by aseismic creep. [2] A fault plane is the plane that represents the fracture surface of a fault. A fault trace or fault line is a place where the fault can be seen
In the case of a fault-related event, it refers to the orientation of the fault plane that slipped, and the slip vector and is also known as a fault-plane solution. Focal mechanisms are derived from a solution of the moment tensor for the earthquake, which itself is estimated by an analysis of observed seismic waveforms. The focal mechanism can ...
She continued: “The recent earthquakes in East Anatolia have occurred on the East Anatolian Fault and the nearby faults where three tectonic plates meet, what is called a triple junction: the ...
Earthquakes are a major factor in the creation of tsunami waves. As interplate earthquakes result in an immediate release of stress along a fault, they produce significant seismic energy and can cause seafloor uplift, generating large waves as the energy from the sudden slip along the fault is transferred to the overlying water body.