Name: _____________________________________
Period: ________
Date: _____________
2.1.1 Vocabulary Part 2: Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and Erosion
Vocabulary Term
fault
Definition
fracture or system of fractures in
Earth's crust that occurs when
stress is applied too quickly or
stress is too great
primary wave (P-wave)
seismic wave that squeezes and
pulls rocks in the same direction
that the wave travels, causing
rock particles to move back and
forth
seismic wave that causes rock
particles to move at right angles
to the direction of the wave
secondary wave (Swave)
surface wave
focus
epicenter
seismometer
magnitude
seismic wave that moves in two
directions as it passes through
rocks, causing he ground to move
both up and down and from side
to side
point of the initial fault rupture
where an earthquake originates
that usually lies at least several
kilometers beneath the Earth's
surface
point on Earth's surface directly
above the focus of an earthquake
instrument used to measure
horizontal or vertical motion
during an earthquake
measure of the energy released
during an earthquake, which can
be described using the Richter
scale
Example (colored picture and description)
tsunami
strike slip fault
large, powerful ocean wave
generated by the vertical
motions of the seafloor during an
earthquake; in shallow water,
can form huge, fast-moving
breakers exceeding 30 m in
height that can damage coastal
areas
a type of fault where rocks on
either side move past each other
sideways with little up or down
motion
normal fault
a type of fault where the hanging
wall slides downward; caused by
tension in the crust
reverse fault
a type of fault where the hanging
wall slides upward; caused by
compression in the crust
viscosity
a substance's internal resistance
to flow
pyroclastic flow
swift-moving, potentially deadly
clouds of gas, ash, and other
volcanic materials produced by a
violent eruption
hot spot
unusually hot area in Earth's
mantle that is stationary for long
periods of time, where hightemperature plumes of mantle
material rise toward the surface
downslope movement of Earth
materials due to gravity, that can
occur suddenly or very slowly
depending on the weight of the
materials, its resistance to
sliding, and whether a trigger,
such as an earthquake, is
involved
mass movement
creep
mudflow
landslide
slump
avalanche
deflation
erosion
slow, steady downhill movement
of loose weathered Earth
materials, especially soils,
causing objects on a slope to tilt
rapidly flowing, often destructive
mixture of mud and water that
may be triggered by an
earthquake, intense rainstorm, or
volcanic eruption
rapid downslope movement of a
mass of loose soil, rock, or debris
that has separated from the
bedrock; can be triggered by an
earthquake
mass movement that occurs
when Earth materials in a
landslide rotate and slide along a
curved surface, leaving a
crescent-shaped scar on a slope
landslide that occurs in a
mountainous area when snow
falls on an icy crust, becomes
heavy, slips off, and slides swiftly
down a mountainside
lowering of land surface caused
by wind erosion of loose surface
particles, often leaving coarse
sediment behind
movement of weathered
materials from one location to
another by agents such as water,
wind, glaciers, and gravity
mechanical weathering process that breaks down rocks
and minerals into smaller pieces
but does not involve any change
in their composition
frost wedging
mechanical weathering process
that occurs when water
repeatedly freezes and thaws in
the cracks of rocks, often
resulting in the rocks splitting
Chemical weathering
process by which rocks and
minerals undergo changes in
their physical composition due to
chemical reactions with agents
such as acids, water, oxygen, and
carbon dioxide
hydrolysis
chemical reaction of water with
other substances
oxidation
chemical reaction of oxygen with
other substances
soil
loose covering of weathered rock
and decayed material overlaying
Earth's bedrock that is
characterized by texture, fertility,
and color and whose composition
is determined by the parent rock
vertical sequence of soil layers,
containing horizon A (topsoil),
horizon B (subsoil), and horizon C
(weathered parent material)
soil profile
Soil horizon
a distinct layer within a soil
profile