The mechanism by which rocks store and eventually release energy in the form of an earthquake is termed ________.
A) elastic rebound
B) seismic rebound
C) fault displacement
D) stress fracture

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The concept of elastic rebound describes the way in which rocks slowly deform and store energy along a fault until they reach their breaking point, at which time they rapidly release that energy in the form of an earthquake. Seismic rebound and fault displacement are not widely used terms in seismology or geology, and stress fracture refers to a specific type of crack in a rock rather than the process by which energy is released in an earthquake.

The Mechanism by Which Rocks Store and Eventually Release Energy