aftershock: One or more smaller earthquakes which often follow a major earthquake.
anaerobic: Occurring in the absence of oxygen. Anaerobic reactions take place in oxygen-free locations.
bedrock: The thick, solid rock layer that underlies the soil and other broken, rocky materials on Earth’s surface.
earthquake: A sudden and sometimes violent shaking of the ground, sometimes causing great destruction, as a result of movements within Earth’s crust or of volcanic action.
electricity: A flow of charge, usually from the movement of negatively charged particles, called electrons.
environment: The sum of all of the things that exist around some organism or the process and the condition those things create. Environment may refer to the weather and ecosystem in which some animal lives, or, perhaps, the temperature and humidity (or even the placement of things in the vicinity of an item of interest).
geologic: An adjective that refers to things that are related to Earth’s physical structure and substance, its history and the processes that act on it. People who work in this field are known as geologists.
ignite: (in chemistry) To engage in the first step in combustion by getting some fuel (such as natural gas or gasoline) to heat enough to start burning.
magnitude: (in geology) A number used to describe the relative size of an earthquake. It runs from 1 to more than 8 and is calculated by the peak ground motion as recorded by seismographs. There are several magnitude scales. One of the more commonly used ones today is known as the moment magnitude. It’s based on the size of a fault (crack in Earth’s crust), how much the fault slips (moves) during a quake, and the energy force that was required to permit that movement. For each increase in magnitude, an earthquake produces 10 times more ground motion and releases about 32 times more energy.
matter: Something that occupies space and has mass. Anything on Earth with matter will have a property described as “weight.”
methane: A hydrocarbon with the chemical formula CH4 (meaning there are four hydrogen atoms bound to one carbon atom). It’s a natural constituent of what’s known as natural gas. It’s also emitted by decomposing plant material in wetlands and is belched out by cows and other ruminant livestock.
organic: (in chemistry) An adjective that indicates something is carbon-containing; also a term that relates to the basic chemicals that make up living organisms. (in agriculture) Farm products grown without the use of non-natural and potentially toxic chemicals, such as pesticides.
paranormal: Events or phenomena that fall outside or beyond what is considered normal. Examples include ghosts, zombies, telekinesis and curses.
radon: A radioactive member of the noble gas family. It is naturally given off by some rocks in the soil. When it accumulates in homes or water supplies, it can pose a health hazard.
static: The condition of being unmoving and unchanging. (in physics) An electronic signal that contains no information but does contain random fluctuations in intensity or wavelength.
static electricity: The buildup of excess electric charge on some surface instead of flowing through a material. This charge buildup tends to develop when two things that are not good conductors of electricity rub together. This allows electrons from one of the objects to be picked up and collected by the other.
subtle: Adjective for something that may be important but can be hard to see or describe. For instance, the first cellular changes that signal the start of a cancer may be only subtly different — as in small and hard to distinguish from nearby healthy tissues.
tectonic: Surface activity on a large rocky body (such as a planet or moon) as liquid rock flows up to the surface where it solidifies, then slowly drifts atop molten rock, carrying surface features with it.
temblor: Another term for an earthquake or Earth-shaking tremor.
vapors: Fumes released when a liquid transforms to a gas, usually as a result of heating.
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