Earthquakes

Aftershock		An earthquake of similar or lesser intensity that follows the main earthquake.
Crust		The Earth's outermost layer.
Earthquake		The release of stored elastic energy caused by sudden fracture and movement of rocks inside the Earth.
Epicentre		The location on the surface of the Earth directly above the focus, or place where an earthquake originates.
Fault		A break in the Earth along which movement occurs.
Focus		That point within the Earth from which originates the first motion of an earthquake.
Hypocentre		Another word for 'focus'.
Intensity		A measure of severity of shaking at a particular site.
Magnitude		A numerical expression of the amount of energy released by an earthquake.
Mantle		A zone in the Earth's interior between the crust and the core that is 2,900 kilometres thick.
Modified Mercalli Scale		An intensity scale that consists of a series of certain key responses such as people awakening, movement of furniture, damage to chimneys, and finally - total destruction.
Richter Scale		A logarithmic scale that measures the amount of energy released during an earthquake.
Seismometer		An instrument that can record the ground motion from an earthquake.
Seismic Wave		The vibrations from earthquakes that travel through the Earth.
Subduction Zone		The area or zone where two tectonic plates come together, one riding over the other.

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