| Seismogram | the recording of the ground shaking at the specific location of the instrument |
| Tectonic plate | massive slab of solid rock made up of Earth's lithosphere (crust and upper mantle) |
| Convection currents | heat-driven cycles that occur in the air, ocean, and mantle caused by a difference in temperature |
| earthquake | sudden and violent shaking of the ground, as a result of movements within the earth's crust or volcanic action |
| P wave | Primary waves, are the first waves to arrive at a seismograph. |
| S wave | secondary wves, are the second waves to arrive during an earthquake |
| Seismograph | instruments used to record the motion of the ground during an earthquake. |
| Seismogram | the recording of the ground shaking at the specific location of the instrument |
