seismology

seismology
—seismologic /suyz'meuh loj"ik, suys'-/, seismological, adj. —seismologically, adv. —seismologist, n.
/suyz mol"euh jee, suys-/, n.
the science or study of earthquakes and their phenomena. Also called seismography.
[1855-60; SEISMO- + -LOGY]

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Scientific discipline concerned with the study of earthquakes and of the propagation of seismic waves.

A branch of geophysics, it has provided much information about the composition and state of the planet's interior. Recent work has focused on predicting earthquakes in hopes of minimizing the risk to humans. Seismologists have also studied quakes induced by human activities
such as impounding water behind high dams, injecting fluids into deep wells, and detonating underground nuclear explosions
in an effort to find ways of controlling natural earthquakes.

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      scientific discipline that is concerned with the study of earthquakes (earthquake) and of the propagation of seismic waves (seismic wave) within the Earth. A branch of geophysics, it has provided much information about the composition and state of the planet's interior.

      The goals of seismological investigations may be local or regional, as in the attempt to determine subsurface faults and other structures in petroleum or mineral exploration, or they may be of global significance, as in attempts to determine structural discontinuities in the Earth's interior, the geophysical characteristics of island arcs, oceanic trenches, or mid-oceanic ridges, or the elastic properties of Earth materials generally.

      In recent years, attention has been devoted to earthquake prediction and, more successfully, to assessing seismic hazards at different geographic sites in an effort to reduce the risks of earthquakes. The physics of seismic fault sources have been better determined and modeled for computer analysis. Moreover, seismologists have studied quakes induced by human activities, such as impounding water behind high dams and detonating underground nuclear explosions. The objective of the latter research is to find ways of discriminating between explosions and natural earthquakes.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Seismology — (from Greek gr. σεισμός, seismos , earthquake ; and gr. λογία, logia ) is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth. The field also includes studies of earthquake effects, such as tsunamis as well… …   Wikipedia

  • Seismology — Seis*mol o*gy, n. [Gr. ??? an earthquake + logy.] The science of earthquakes. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • seismology — (n.) 1852, from SEISMO (Cf. seismo ) + LOGY (Cf. logy). Related: Seismological (1850) …   Etymology dictionary

  • seismology — ► NOUN ▪ the branch of science concerned with earthquakes and related phenomena. DERIVATIVES seismological adjective seismologist noun …   English terms dictionary

  • seismology — [sīz mäl′ə jē, sīsmäl′ə jē] n. [ SEISMO + LOGY] a geophysical science dealing with earthquakes and related phenomena seismologic [sīzmə läj′ik, sīsmə läj′ik] adj. seismological seismologically adv. seismologist n …   English World dictionary

  • seismology — [[t]saɪzmɒ̱ləʤi[/t]] N UNCOUNT Seismology is the scientific study of earthquakes. Derived words: seismological ADJ usu ADJ n ...the Seismological Society of America. seismologist plural N COUNT Peter Ward is a seismologist with the US Geological… …   English dictionary

  • seismology — seismologija statusas T sritis ekologija ir aplinkotyra apibrėžtis Geofizikos šaka, tirianti Žemės drebėjimus ir su jais susijusius reiškinius. Nustato žemės drebėjimų priežastis, geografinį paplitimą, jų prognozavimo galimybes pagal įvairius… …   Ekologijos terminų aiškinamasis žodynas

  • seismology — noun Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary Date: 1858 a science that deals with earthquakes and with artificially produced vibrations of the earth • seismological also seismologic adjective • seismologist noun …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • seismology — noun The study of the vibration of the Earths interior caused by natural and unnatural sources, such as earthquakes. See Also: seismic …   Wiktionary

  • seismology — seis|mol|o|gy [saızˈmɔlədʒi US ˈma: ] n [U] the scientific study of ↑earthquakes >seismologist n …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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