Faults & Elastic Rebound

The earthquake cycle

An interactive lesson with 7 steps, about 6 minutes: you predict, drag and solve, with instant feedback on every answer. It runs in your browser and needs JavaScript.

What you’ll learn

• Locked faults store strain and release it suddenly: elastic rebound.
• Recurrence time ≈ slip per quake ÷ plate speed; exact timing is unpredictable.
• Seismic moment $M_0 = \mu A D$ sets the moment magnitude.

Steps

1. Stuck, then slipping
2. The bending fence
3. The earthquake cycle
4. Overdue?
5. Measuring the moment
6. Slip waiting to happen
7. Compute a magnitude