hypocentrehypocentern.
/ˈhʌɪpəʊsɛntə/ 1. The focus of an earthquake, the point within the earth where it originates.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > formation of features > convulsion > [noun] > earthquake > epicentre
centrum1874
epicentrum1874
epicentre1880
hypocentre1905
1905 C. Davison Study Recent Earthquakes i. 3 The region within which the displacement occurs is sometimes called the hypocentre, but more frequently the seismic focus, or simply the focus.
1938 L. D. Leet Pract. Seismol. viii. 280 With growth of the concept that ordinarily the focus was actually at a finite depth below the surface, the term ‘centrum’ was modified to hypocenter, signifying the deep center, or focus; and epicenter, or point on the surface vertically above the focus.
1972 Sci. Amer. May 58 The first seismic waves to leave the region of the break (the hypocenter) are waves of alternate compression and rarefaction.
2. = ground zero n. at ground n. Compounds 2a.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > hostilities in the air > [noun] > air operation > bombing raid > dropping of bombs > ground under exploding bomb
ground zero1946
hypocentre1960
1960 Observer 29 May 26/1 The Hiroshima survivors are unusual in having experienced a single whole-body exposure, the dose varying according to distance from the hypocentre (point directly beneath centre) of the explosion.
1962 J. F. Loutit Irradiation ii. 75 The incidence of leukemia..is high for those who were exposed near to the hypocenter.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1976; most recently modified version published online March 2018).
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n.1905