earth science

Types of earthquake

Types of earthquake is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Types of earthquake rather than just read about it. In short: This is a list of different types of earthquake. A Aftershock, a smaller earthquake that occurs after a previous large earthquake, in the same area of the main shock.

Key takeaways

Types of earthquake belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Types of earthquake to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Types of earthquake from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

This is a list of different types of earthquake.

A Aftershock, a smaller earthquake that occurs after a previous large earthquake, in the same area of the main shock.

B Blind thrust earthquake, an earthquake which occurs along a thrust fault that does not show signs on the Earth's surface.

C Cryoseism, a seismic event that may be caused by a sudden cracking action in frozen soil or rock saturated with water or ice.

D Deep-focus earthquake, also called a plutonic earthquake, an earthquake with a depth exceeding 70 kilometres (43 mi). Doublet earthquake, an earthquake that consists of at least two or more mainshocks of nearly identical magnitude, separated by a period of time.

E Earthquake swarm, events where a local area experiences sequences of many earthquakes striking in a relatively short period of time.

F Foreshock, an earthquake that occurs before a larger seismic event (the mainshock) and is related to it in both time and space.

H Harmonic tremor, a sustained release of seismic and infrasonic energy typically associated with the underground movement of magma, the venting of volcanic gases from magma, or both.

I Induced seismicity, typically minor earthquakes and tremors that are caused by human activity that alters the stresses and strains on the Earth's crust. Interplate earthquake, an earthquake that occurs at the boundary between tectonic plates. Intraplate earthquake, an earthquake that occurs within the interior of a tectonic plate.

M Megathrust earthquake, an earthquake occurring at subduction zones at destructive convergent plate boundaries, where one tectonic plate is forced underneath another.

R Remotely triggered earthquakes, a result of the effects of other earthquakes at considerable distance, outside of the immediate aftershock zones.

S Slow earthquake, a discontinuous, earthquake-like event that releases energy over a period of hours to months, rather than the seconds to minutes characteristic of a typical earthquake. Submarine earthquake, an earthquake that occurs underwater at the bottom of a body of water, especially an ocean. 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. Strike-slip earthquake, an earthquake where two pieces of crust slide horizontally past each other.

T Tsunami earthquake, an earthquake that triggers a tsunami of a magnitude that is very much larger than the magnitude of the earthquake as measured by shorter-period seismic waves.

V Volcano tectonic earthquake, an earthquake induced by the movement (injection or withdrawal) of magma.

References

External links Media related to Types of earthquake at Wikimedia Commons

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Types of earthquake

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Types of earthquake claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Types of earthquake before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Types of earthquake ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Types of earthquake

In research: Types of earthquake appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Types of earthquake in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Types of earthquake is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Earthquake stubs, Lists of earthquakes, Seismology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Types of earthquake outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Types of earthquake in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Types of earthquake means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Types of earthquake out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Types of earthquake in simple terms?

This is a list of different types of earthquake. A Aftershock, a smaller earthquake that occurs after a previous large earthquake, in the same area of the main shock.

Why does Types of earthquake matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Types of earthquake?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Types of earthquake.