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Physical & World Geography

Earthquake

Sudden movement of the Earth's crust

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Overview

An earthquake, also called a quake, tremor, or temblor, is the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they cannot be felt, to those violent enough to propel objects and people into the air, damage critical infrastructure, and wreak destruction across entire cities. The seismic activity of an area is the frequency, type, and size of earthquakes experienced over a particular time. The seismicity at a particular location in the Earth is the average rate of seismic energy released per unit volume.

Source: Wikipedia — Earthquake (CC BY-SA)

Key concepts

How Earthquake connects to the ideas, people and events around it.

  1. Seismic wave

    produces

    Seismic waves are the energy waves that travel through the Earth during an earthquake. They include body waves such as P-waves and S-waves, which were first recorded in 1906.

  2. Plate tectonics

    caused by

    Tectonic plates are massive slabs of solid rock that make up the Earth's lithosphere. Their interactions at boundaries generate most of the world's earthquakes.

  3. Richter scale

    measured by

    The Richter magnitude scale quantifies the size of earthquakes based on seismograph readings. It was developed in 1935 and assigns each quake a single numeric value.

  4. Epicenter

    has

    The epicenter is the point on the Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's focus. It is located using data from at least three seismograph stations.

  5. Fault (geology)

    occurs on

    A geological fault is a fracture in the Earth's crust where blocks of rock move relative to each other. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake occurred along the San Andreas Fault.

  6. Charles Richter

    studied by

    Charles Francis Richter was an American seismologist who co-developed the magnitude scale for earthquakes. He worked at the California Institute of Technology from 1930.

  7. Japan

    affects

    Japan experiences frequent earthquakes due to its location on multiple plate boundaries. The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami caused over 15,000 deaths.

  8. Seismometer

    detected by

    A seismometer is an instrument that detects and records ground motions caused by earthquakes. Modern broadband seismometers can sense motions as small as 10⁻⁹ g.

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Questions about Earthquake

What is Earthquake?

An earthquake, also called a quake, tremor, or temblor, is the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they cannot be felt, to those violent enough to propel objects and people into the air, damage critical infrastructure, and wreak destruction across entire cities.

What are the key concepts related to Earthquake?

The main concepts connected to Earthquake include Seismic wave, Plate tectonics, Richter scale, Epicenter, Fault (geology), Charles Richter, Japan, Seismometer. Each is linked on the map above with its own summary.

Which exams cover Earthquake?

Earthquake is part of Physical & World Geography, which appears in the syllabus of UPSC CSE, UPSC CAPF, NDA, CDS, AFCAT, SSC CGL and 44 more exams.