断层破裂
定义
地震期间沿断层发生的岩石破裂，以地震波的形式释放储存的弹性能量。破裂长度从数米（小地震）到1,000公里以上（巨大地震）不等。
示例
2004年苏门答腊地震在约10分钟内破裂了1,300公里的断层。
相关术语
相关指南
理解矩震级标度
The moment magnitude scale (Mw) is the modern gold standard for measuring earthquakes. Learn how it works and why it replaced the Richter scale.
余震解释:为什么地震会成群出现?
Aftershocks can continue for months or years after a major earthquake. Learn what causes them, how they're predicted, and when they'll stop.
地震持续多长时间?
Most earthquakes last seconds, but great earthquakes can shake for minutes. Learn what determines duration and why it matters for damage.
2010年海地地震:灾难和救援
The 2010 M7.0 Haiti earthquake killed over 200,000 people. Learn why the devastation was so extreme and the lessons for earthquake preparedness.
1906年旧金山地震:现代地震学的诞生
The 1906 M7.9 San Francisco earthquake and fire reshaped a city and launched modern earthquake science. The quake that changed everything.
1964年阿拉斯加地震:大阿拉斯加地震
The 1964 M9.2 Alaska earthquake was the most powerful earthquake in US history. Its lessons shaped modern building codes and tsunami science.
2015年尼泊尔地震:廓尔喀地震
The 2015 M7.8 Nepal earthquake devastated Kathmandu and triggered avalanches on Everest. A study in building vulnerability and international response.
2023年土耳其-叙利亚地震:双重灾难
Two devastating earthquakes within hours killed over 50,000 in Turkey and Syria. The most destructive earthquake disaster of the 2020s.
2010年智利地震:巨型逆冲断层教训
The 2010 M8.8 Chile earthquake showed how strong building codes save lives. Lessons from one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded.
InSAR:从太空看地震
Satellite radar reveals ground deformation from earthquakes with centimeter precision. Learn how InSAR maps fault slip from orbit.
相关案例研究
2018年苏拉威西地震:帕卢的走滑海啸和灾难性液化
The earthquake that defied three textbook rules: strike-slip faults generated a destructive tsunami, the rupture propagated at supershear speed, and liquefaction flows traveled 700 meters on nearly flat ground.
2010年考蒂恩地震:智利的M8.8巨型逆冲断层和备灾的力量
The clearest modern comparison showing that building codes save lives -- a M8.8 earthquake in Chile killed 525 people while a M7.0 in Haiti (35 days earlier) killed 316,000.
2008年四川地震:龙门山断层沿线87,000人死亡
The earthquake that forced China to confront endemic building code violations after thousands of 'tofu-dreg' school buildings collapsed while adjacent government structures survived, killing over 5,000 children.
2005年克什米尔地震:喜马拉雅边境87,000人死亡
The deadliest Himalayan earthquake in modern history, which killed 17,000 students in collapsed schools and demonstrated the extreme difficulty of disaster response in remote mountainous terrain.
2004年印度洋海啸:21世纪最严重的地震灾难
The deadliest tsunami in modern history, killing 227,898 people across 14 countries, whose aftermath created the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System and transformed global disaster preparedness.
常见问题解答
震中是地表上位于震源（地震破裂开始处）正上方的点。通常以经纬度坐标报告。最强的震动通常发生在震中附近，但当地土壤条件和断层几何形态可能使最大损害区域发生偏移。
地震仪（地震计）是检测和记录地震波引起的地面运动的仪器。现代宽频带地震仪可以检测到比原子宽度还小的运动。全球地震仪网络使科学家能够在几分钟内确定地震的位置和震级。
P波（纵波）是通过岩石传播最快的压缩波，最先到达地震台站。S波（横波）到达较晚但引起更大的地面震动。P波可以通过固体、液体和气体传播；S波只能通过固体传播。两者之间的时间差有助于确定地震的距离。
震源是地球内部地震破裂开始的点。它由经度、纬度和深度来描述。震源与其正上方地表之间的垂直距离即为地震深度，这对地表感受到的震动强度有很大影响。
地震学是研究地震和地震波在地球内部传播的科学学科。它包括地震检测、定位和特征描述、地球内部结构、地震危险性评估和地震工程。地震学家利用全球地震仪网络的数据来研究这些现象。