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Earthquakes are caused mostly by the rupture of geological faults but also by other events such as volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, fracking and nuclear tests. An earthquake's point of initial rupture is called its hypocenter or focus. The epicenter is the point at ground level directly above the hypocenter.
What causes earthquakes? Earthquakes occur when the plates that make up the Earth's crust move around. These plates, called tectonic plates, can push against each other.
A similar process can occur if there is water present in the rock. As the fault begins to slip, this rapid increase in temperature close to the fault causes the water in the pore space to vaporize. As the water vapor expands, it causes the pores along the fault surface to dilate and thereby creates a smoother surface at the fault interface.
Hypocenter (Focus) and epicenter of an earthquake. An earthquake's hypocenter or focus is the position where the strain energy stored in the rock is first released, marking the point where the fault begins to rupture. [3] This occurs directly beneath the epicenter, at a distance known as the hypocentral depth or focal depth. [3]
The study indicated that some of 121 earthquake swarms documented over a 24-year period in a section of the Czech Republic were caused by hydroseismicity. Scientific debate
Seismology (/ s aɪ z ˈ m ɒ l ə dʒ i, s aɪ s-/; from Ancient Greek σεισμός (seismós) meaning "earthquake" and -λογία (-logía) meaning "study of") is the scientific study of earthquakes (or generally, quakes) and the generation and propagation of elastic waves through planetary bodies.
An earthquake is a phenomenon that results from the sudden release of stored energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. At the Earth's surface, earthquakes may manifest themselves by a shaking or displacement of the ground and sometimes cause tsunamis, which may lead to loss of life and destruction of property. An earthquake is ...
The primary purpose of a seismometer is to locate the initiating points of earthquake epicenters. The secondary purpose, of determining the 'size' or magnitude must be calculated after the precise location is known. [citation needed] The earliest seismographs were designed to give a sense of the direction of the first motions from an earthquake.