aseismic

American  

[ey-sahyz-mik, -sahys-] / eɪˈsaɪz mɪk, -ˈsaɪs- /

adjective

Geology.

1. free from earthquakes.

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aseismic British  

/ eɪˈsaɪzmɪk /

adjective

1. denoting a region free of earthquakes

2. (not in technical use) denoting a region free of all but a few small earthquakes

3. (of buildings, etc) designed to withstand earthquakes

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Etymology

Origin of aseismic

First recorded in 1880–85; a- ⁶ + seismic

Example Sentences

Fluid injection first reactivates the fault patches through slow, aseismic slip and causing only few and small seismic events, followed by a progressive localization ultimately leading to large induced events.

From Science Daily • Jan. 18, 2024

The same problems will likely plague the use of aseismic movement for predictive purposes, Jones says.

From Scientific American • Jul. 20, 2023

But in the central section, the plates engage in what is known as aseismic creep: a slow, continuous movement that doesn’t build up the same pressures as elsewhere along the fault.

From Washington Post • Mar. 6, 2022

These boundaries form aseismic fracture zones, filled with earthquake-free transform faults, to accommodate different rates of spreading occurring at the ridge.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

He compared the Cascadia zone with known earthquake areas and told the NRC, “Well, maybe it is aseismic, but another interpretation is, it looks like Chile—which is also aseismic, except for the big ones.”

From Slate • Sep. 15, 2015