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🌎 How do earthquakes shake

Follow an earthquake from fault rupture to P and S waves, seismograms, location, magnitude, and the local ground and structures that turn energy into shaking.

lessons

~10 min

to learn

🔬 Science

subject

Adults

level

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What you’ll learn

A break in the crustExplain how fault slip releases stored elastic energy and distinguish focus from epicenter.Earthquakes begin as sudden fault rupture underground, then spread energy outward from a moving break.
Waves carry the shakeDistinguish P, S, and surface waves by their motion, speed, and path.Different seismic waves arrive at different times and move rock in different directions.
Reading the recordUse seismograms and arrival-time differences to explain earthquake detection and location.Seismic instruments turn motion into traces, and networks turn timing gaps into locations and measurements.
Why damage variesConnect local ground conditions, building design, and secondary hazards to earthquake effects.An earthquake's source is only the beginning; ground, structures, water, and slopes shape the experience.

Questions this course answers

What is the focus of an earthquake?

The focus, or hypocenter, is the underground point where fault rupture starts; the epicenter is directly above it at the surface.

Why does a seismometer usually record the P wave before the S wave?

P waves are the fastest principal body waves, so they arrive before the slower shear motion of S waves.

How can several stations locate an earthquake?

Each station estimates distance from the P-S time gap; multiple stations constrain the source by intersecting those distance estimates.

What is the difference between magnitude and intensity?

Magnitude describes the earthquake source, whereas intensity records how strongly shaking and damage were experienced at a particular location.

Why might soft sediment increase earthquake damage?

Loose sediment and basins can amplify or extend motion, and the resulting frequencies may interact strongly with buildings.

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