Earthquake Glossary

Earthquake Glossary

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

All Terms

A

• acceleration
• accelerogram
• accelerograph
• accretionary wedge
• active fault
• aftershocks
• alluvium
• amplification
• amplitude
• arc
• aseismic
• asperity
• asthenosphere
• attenuation

B

• backarc
• basement
• bedrock
• Benioff zone
• blind thrust fault
• body wave
• brittle-ductile boundary

C

• carbon 14 age
• compressional stress
• compressional wave
• core
• creep
• crust

D

• deformation
• dip
• dip slip
• directivity
• displacement

E

• earthquake
• earthquake hazard
• earthquake risk
• epicenter

F

• fault
• fault creep
• fault gouge
• fault plane
• fault scarp
• fault trace
• fault-plane solution
• first motion
• focal depth
• focal-mechanism solution
• focus
• forearc
• foreshocks
• frequency

G

• G or g
• geodesy
• geodetic
• geologic time scale
• geology
• geomorphology
• geophysics
• geotechnical
• graben
• gravity
• great circle
• ground failure
• ground motion

H

• halfspace
• harmonic tremor
• hazard
• hertz (Hz)
• Holocene
• horst
• hypocenter

I

• intensity
• interplate
• interplate coupling
• intraplate
• isoseismal (line)

K

• kinematic

L

• landslide
• Late Quaternary
• lateral spread or flow
• least-squares fit
• left-lateral
• lifelines
• liquefaction
• lithology
• lithosphere
• locked fault
• Love wave

M

• Ma
• magnetic polarity reversal
• magnitude
• mainshock
• mantle
• microzonation
• Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale
• Moho
• moment magnitude
• moment tensor

N

• natural frequency
• normal fault
• normal stress

O

• oceanic spreading ridge
• oceanic trench

P

• P wave
• paleoseismicity
• peak acceleration
• pedogenic
• percent
• period
• plate tectonics
• Pleistocene
• Poisson distribution

Q

• Q
• Quaternary

R

• radiometric
• Rayleigh wave
• recurrence interval
• reflection
• refraction
• regression analysis
• residual
• return period
• Richter scale
• right-lateral
• Ring of Fire
• rupture front
• rupture velocity

S

• S wave
• sand boil
• sea-floor spreading
• secular
• segmentation
• seiche
• seismic gap
• seismic hazard
• seismic moment
• seismic reflection or refraction line
• seismic wave
• seismic zone
• seismicity
• seismogenic
• seismogram
• seismograph
• seismology
• seismometer
• shadow zone
• shear stress
• shear wave
• slab
• slickensides
• slip
• slip model
• slip rate
• soil
• soil profile
• source
• spectral acceleration (SA)
• spectrum
• standard deviation
• station
• stick-slip
• stochastic
• strain
• strain rate
• stress
• stress drop
• strike
• strike-slip
• strong motion
• subduction
• subduction zone
• surface faulting
• surface wave
• surface wave magnitude

T

• tectonic
• tectonic plates
• teleseismic
• tensional stress
• thrust fault
• time history
• transform fault
• traveltime curve
• tsunami
• tsunami magnitude (Mt)
• tsunamigenic
• turbidites

V

• velocity
• velocity structure

W

• wavefront
• wavelength

Y

• YBP