English - English
Definition of mainshock in English English dictionary
- The maximum shock in an earthquake event. Sometimes preceded by foreshocks and followed by aftershocks which are of lesser intensity
- The largest in a series of earthquakes occurring closely in time and space The mainshock may be preceded by foreshocks or followed by aftershocks
- The largest earthquake in any series of earthquakes; to be definitively called a "mainshock", it should generally be at least half a magnitude unit larger than the next largest quake in the series Otherwise, the series of quakes may more accurately fit the definition of a swarm
- The largest earthquake in a sequence, sometimes preceded by one or more foreshocks, and almost always followed by many aftershocks