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Geology & Earth Sciences vocabulary · Earthquakes & Seismology

Epicenter

Meaning in geology & earth sciences, with examples

/ˈepɪsentər/nounCore term

In geology & earth sciences, epicenter means: The point on the Earth's surface directly above the place underground where an earthquake starts.

In Turkish: dış merkez, merkez üssü, episantr

How it is used

Usually given with distance and direction: 'the epicenter was 12 km south of the town'. The US spelling is epicenter, the UK spelling epicentre. It is also used figuratively, as in 'the epicentre of the crisis'.

Example sentences

  1. The epicenter was offshore, about 20 km from the coast.

  2. Damage was worst in the villages closest to the epicentre.

Common collocations

  • the epicenter of the earthquake
  • near the epicenter
  • the epicenter was located
  • epicentral area
  • hypocenterThe point underground where an earthquake rupture starts, also called the focus. Its depth below the surface is called the focal depth.
  • earthquakeA sudden shaking of the ground caused by rocks breaking and slipping along a fault, which releases energy as seismic waves.
  • magnitudeA number that describes the size of an earthquake at its source, based on the energy released. Each whole step on the scale means about 32 times more energy.

More terms: Earthquakes & Seismology

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