aftershock(s)—an earthquake
that follows the largest shock of an earthquake
sequence
algae—photosynthetic microorganisms
which are mainly aquatic and differ from plants
because of a lack of true stems, roots, and leaves
altitude—the vertical
elevation above a given level (especially sea
level)
Atlantis—a legendary island
and city that is said to have disappeared beneath
the Atlantic Ocean during an earthquake
bearing—direction measured
from one position to another
benchmarks— a mark on
a permanent object that indicates elevation and
serves as a reference in geological surveys
caldera(s)—a large crater
formed from a collapsed volcano
caprock—an overlying rock
CAT scan—a cross-sectional
picture of the body that is made by a computer
from a series of X-rays
catastrophic—disastrous,
devastating
chasm—a deep crack in
the surface of the earth
conundrum—a riddle or
puzzle
core—the innermost layer
of the Earth
deformation—a change in
the original shape
deposit(s)—something that
is laid down by a natural process (such as sediments)
diatom(s)—single-celled
algae, whose shells are made of silica
dome— an uplifted, steep-sided
area that is often round or elliptical when viewed
from an airplane
EarthScope—a research
project that is exploring movements of the Earth’s
crust, and monitoring how these shifts affect
volcanic and earthquake activity on a continental
scale.
fault—a fracture in the
Earth’s crust along which movement has occurred
foreshock(s)—an earthquake
that precedes the largest earthquake in an earthquake
sequence
geology—the scientific
study of the structure, origin, and history of
the Earth
glacier—a huge mass of
moving ice, adj. glacial
Global Positioning System—a
navigation system that uses signals from satellites
to find the location of a radio receiver on the
Earth's surface
Hasta luego, amigos!—
Spanish sentence meaning, “Until later,
friends.”
hotspot— an area on the
Earth’s surface that shows signs of long-lasting
volcanic activity
hydrothermal—having to
do with hot water
lava flow(s)—a mass of
lava on the Earth's surface, including both moving
and solidified deposits of lava
magma—molten material
from which igneous rock is formed
magma chamber—an underground
area filled with molten and semi-molten rock,
as well as gases
magnitude—a number that
expresses the relative size of an earthquake
mainshock—the largest
earthquake in a sequence, sometimes preceded by
foreshocks, and almost always followed by aftershocks
mantle—the layer of the
Earth located between the crust and the core
pH—the level of acidity
in water, ranging from 0-14
plate tectonics—a theory
that says that the crust and upper mantle of the
Earth are composed of large plates that slowly
move about due to convection currents deeper in
the planet’s interior
resurgent dome(s)—a rounded,
uplifted area that has risen again
sediment—fine solid pieces
of material (such as sand) that settle to the
bottom of a liquid
seismic—having to do with
motions in the Earth
seismograph—an instrument
that detects and measures tremors within the Earth
silica—the crystalline
compound of silicon and oxygen
sonar—a system using sound
waves to detect the presence and location of submerged
objects
sounding—a measured depth
of water
subsidence—falling or
sinking
tomography—a method of
using the energy of earthquake waves to create
a three-dimensional image of Earth’s interior
uplift—an upheaval of
the Earth’s crust
volcano—a vent in the
Earth’s crust through which lava, ashes,
and hot gases are released, adj. volcanic
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