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Waves:
Earthquake Study Guide
In every earthquake there are three waves produced:

1. P-Waves are the Primary Waves. They
are the fastest waves sent out by an earthquake. They are felt first.
They make a push-pull motion. They travel down into the earth.

2. S-Waves are the Secondary Waves.
Rock is shaken or whipped from side-to-side, like the wavy motion of a
snake. They are the second fastest waves sent out by an earthquake.
They travel down into the earth.

3. L-Waves are Surface waves. They are the
slowest earthquake waves. L-Waves are always last to arrive. They
travel along the surface of the earth, not down into it. They usually
create the most damage because they are nearer to the surface.
Other earthquake information:
 A Seismograph – is the instrument used to detect, record, and
measure the vibrations produced by an earthquake.
 The Richter Scale- is the scale used to measure the strength of an
earthquake.
 The Mariana Trench- is the deepest undersea trench.
 Tsunami- is another name for a tidal wave.
 San Andreas Fault- is the transform fault in California.
 Epicenter- is the center of an earthquake.
Types of Mountains:
 Dome Mountain- Formed when magma pushes up the earth’s crust.
 Fold Mountain- Formed when pressure comes from both sides of
the earth’s crust, and it bends into a fold mountain.
 Fault-Block Mountain- Formed when pressure comes from both
sides of the earth’s crust, and it breaks. One side goes up and
one side goes down to form a fault-block mountain.
 Volcanic Mountain- Formed when an oceanic plate is destroyed by
a continental plate and the destroyed rocks melt into magma.
This magma (lava) comes above the earth’s crust and builds a
volcanic mountain.