Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2024
DOI
10.1119/5.0201922
Publication Title
The Physics Teacher
Volume
62
Issue
3
Pages
238
Abstract
This article discusses earthquakes and seismic waves. It explains that earthquakes occur in the crust or upper mantle, with "shallow" earthquakes happening above a depth of 70 km in the crust. The article also introduces the slider-block model, which is a simple model used to understand earthquake behavior. It provides equations to calculate the displacement and maximum slip velocity of the fault based on various factors. The article then presents two questions related to earthquake calculations. Additionally, it mentions Fermi Questions, which are brief questions with estimation techniques.
Rights
© Copyright 2026 AIP Publishing LLC
This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. This article appeared in
Adam, J. (2024). Earthquakes and seismic waves. The Physics Teacher, 62(3), 238.
and may be found at https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0201922
Original Publication Citation
Adam, J. (2024). Earthquakes and seismic waves. The Physics Teacher, 62(3), 238. https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0201922
ORCID
0000-0001-5537-2889 (Adam)
Repository Citation
Adam, John, "Earthquakes and Seismic Waves" (2024). Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications. 324.
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/mathstat_fac_pubs/324