Earthquakes (6.E.2.2)

Explore earthquake science! Learn key terms like seismology, epicenter, and seismic waves.

1. Earthquakes: a sudden movement of the Earth’s crust caused by the release of stress accumulated along geological faults or by volcanic activity.2. Scientists who study earthquakes are called seismologists.3. Seismology is the scientific study of earthquakes.4. Most earthquakes take place along transform boundaries.5. A fault is a break in the Earth’s crust.6. Focus the point inside the Earth, along a fault, at which an earthquake begins.7. Epicenter the point on the Earth’s surface directly above an earthquake’s starting point, or focus.8. The waves produced by an earthquake are seismic waves.9. A seismograph is an instrument located at or near the surface of the Earth that records seismic waves. Please match the concepts to their descriptions. Primary fastest Secondary second fastest Surface most destructive Why do seismic waves travel faster through solid rock than water?