active fault
Earthquake-prone fracture zone
An active fault is a fracture in the Earth's crust that has produced earthquakes in recent geological time and is expected to produce more.
Geologists consider faults active if they've moved within the last 10,000 to 2 million years, depending on the region and regulatory context.
Building codes often restrict construction near active faults: The house sat directly over an active fault line.
Violent tearing apart
- slipMinor error or misstep
- magnitudeSize or scale
- epicenterPoint above seismic origin
- aftershockSmaller quake following larger
foreshock · mainshock · tremor · shaking · seismicity · seismograph · intensity · acceleration
Where Earth's sections meet
- subduction zoneWhere one plate slides under another
- convergentTending toward union
- divergentDeviating from the norm
- lithosphereCrust plus upper mantle
crust · San Andreas · Anatolian · rift
Likelihood of ground tremors
- liquefactionConversion to liquid state
- landslideMass of earth falling
- tsunamiSeismic sea surge
- damage zoneArea where destruction occurred
emergency · evacuation · mitigation · vulnerability · geohazard · disaster preparedness
Stealthy, slow movement
- displacementRemoval from usual location
- strainExcessive stretching force
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
- deformationChange in shape
offset · shear · brittle · ductile · kinematics · strike-slip · thrust · recurrence
rupture
Violent tearing apart
aftershock · foreshock · mainshock · tremor · shaking · seismicity · seismograph · intensity · acceleration · hypocenter
plate boundary
Where Earth's sections meet
- subduction zoneWhere one plate slides under another
- convergentTending toward union
- divergentDeviating from the norm
lithosphere · crust · San Andreas · Anatolian · rift
earthquake risk
Likelihood of ground tremors
- liquefactionConversion to liquid state
- landslideMass of earth falling
- tsunamiSeismic sea surge
damage zone · emergency · evacuation · mitigation · vulnerability · geohazard · disaster preparedness
creep
Stealthy, slow movement
- displacementRemoval from usual location
- strainExcessive stretching force
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
deformation · offset · shear · brittle · ductile · kinematics · strike-slip · thrust · recurrence
- faultsflaw, defect, imperfection, shortcoming, failing
- earthquakesearthquake, quake, earthquakes, quakes, epicenter