KEY VOCABULARY

aftershock

A shaking event that follows an earthquake - sometimes more damaging than the original earthquake

altitude

The height above sea level

continent

Any of the world’s main continuous expanses of land (e.g. Oceania, Asia, Europe, Africa)

crater

A steep-sided, usually circular depression formed by either explosion or collapse at a volcanic vent

dormant

A dormant volcano is a volcano that has not erupted in the past 10,000 years

epicenter

The part of the Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake

eruption

An explosion of steam or lava from a volcano

fault

Fractures in the Earth’s crust where rocks on either side of the crack have slid past each other

fissures

Elongated fractures or cracks on the slopes of a vocano

lava

Hot, molten or semi-fluid rock erupted from a volcano (or solid rock resulting from the cooling of this)

magma

Hot fluid or semi-fluid material below or within the Earth’s crust from which lava is formed

magnitude

The size and severity of an earthquake measured on the Richter Scale

seismic

An adjective that describes things to do with earthquakes, for example ‘there has been some seismic activity in this area’.

tsunami

A long, high wave usually caused by an earthquake in an ocean

vent

The opening at the earth's surface through which volcanic materials issue forth.