Aftershock

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/aftershock

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the research value?Provide data for understanding fault mechanics, stress transfer, and earthquake rupture processes
2. Why do aftershocks happen after a big earthquake?After the main quake, the Earth's crust is still adjusting; the stress changes can make nearby fault parts slip again, causing aftershocks.
3. How do scientists know how many aftershocks will happen?Scientists use rules like Omori’s Law, which says aftershocks become less frequent over time, and the Gutenberg‑Richter law, which shows many small ones and fewer big ones, to estimate how many may happen.

Lithosphere: The rigid outer part of the Earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
Elastic Rebound Theory: The theory that earthquakes occur as the result of an abrupt release of energy stored in rocks strained beyond their elastic limits.
Seismic Waveforms: The graphical representation of ground motion recorded by seismographs during an earthquake.