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What is the difference between the focus and epicenter of an earthquake?

The focus is the
point within the earth where seismic waves originate; it is centered on the part of the fault that
has the greatest movement. The epicenter is on the earth's surface directly above the focus.
The point at the Earth's surface directly above the focus is called the epicenter of
the earthquake. At the epicenter, the strongest shaking occurs during an earthquake.
Sometimes the ground surface breaks along the fault. Sometimes the movement is deep
underground and the surface does not break.Apr 29, 2016

Near the epicenter, because the intensity scale of an earthquake gets higher
as you get closer to the epicenter.

The epicenter is the point on the land surface that is directly above the focus. In about 75%

of earthquakes, the focus is in the top 10 to 15 kilometers (6 to 9 miles) of the crust.

Shallow earthquakes cause the most damage because the focus is near where people live.

earth·quake
/ˈərTHˌkwāk/

Learn to pronounce

noun
1. a sudden and violent shaking of the ground, sometimes causing great
destruction, as a result of movements within the earth's crust or volcanic action.

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