foreshock

American  

[fawr-shok, fohr-] / ˈfɔrˌʃɒk, ˈfoʊr- /

noun

Geology.

1. a relatively small earthquake that precedes a greater one by a few days or weeks and originates at or near the focus of the larger earthquake.

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foreshock British  

/ ˈfɔːˌʃɒk /

noun

1. a relatively small earthquake heralding the arrival of a much larger one. Some large earthquakes are preceded by a series of foreshocks Compare aftershock

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Etymology

Origin of foreshock

First recorded in 1900–05; fore- + shock ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

foreshock

However, the 2011 earthquake was preceded by a 7.2 magnitude foreshock, they note - one which was largely ignored.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2024

A foreshock to Thursday’s quakes occurred Wednesday, at 1:46 p.m.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2024

It’s not clear that a quake is a foreshock until a larger quake happens.

From Scientific American ● Jul. 20, 2023

Sometimes an aftershock is even larger than the initial quake, Dr. Hough said, in which case the aftershock is considered the main quake and the first one is referred to as a foreshock.

From New York Times ● Feb. 6, 2023

The foreshock was the abrupt shuttering, save for a skeleton-crew website still bearing the nameplate, of the venerable, Hearst-owned Post-Intelligencer.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 8, 2018

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