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An earthquake is the shaking of the surface of Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes may also be referred to as quakes, tremors, or temblors. The word tremor is also used for non-earthquake seismic rumbling.
Moderately damaging earthquakes strike between New York and Wilmington, Delaware, about twice a century, the USGS said, and smaller earthquakes are felt in the region roughly every two to three years.
[3] [4] Depending on the size of the earthquake, an earthquake cycle can last decades, centuries, or longer. [ 1 ] [ 5 ] The Parkfield portion of the San Andreas fault is a well-known example where similarly located M6.0 earthquakes have been instrumentally recorded every 30–40 years.
Following an earthquake event, S waves arrive at seismograph stations after the faster-moving P waves and displace the ground perpendicular to the direction of propagation. Depending on the propagational direction, the wave can take on different surface characteristics; for example, in the case of horizontally polarized S waves, the ground ...
Submarine earthquake, an earthquake that occurs underwater at the bottom of a body of water, especially an ocean. [17] Supershear earthquake, an earthquake in which the propagation of the rupture along the fault surface occurs at speeds in excess of the seismic shear wave (S-wave) velocity, causing an effect analogous to a sonic boom. [18]
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's seismic moment can be estimated in various ways, which are the bases of the M wb, M wr, M wc, M ww, M wp, M i, and M wpd scales, all subtypes of the generic M w scale. See Moment magnitude scale § Subtypes for details. Seismic moment is considered the most objective measure of an earthquake's "size" in regard of total energy. [50]
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