Explanation of the epicenter: The ground directly above the epicenter is called the epicenter. The epicenter suffered the greatest loss in the earthquake. The projection point of the source on the earth's surface, the epicenter is not a point, but a surface. The magnitude is only related to the energy released by the earthquake, and energy is a measure of the magnitude of the earthquake, so the earthquake has only one magnitude; However, the intensity indicates the degree of influence and destruction on the ground, which varies from place to place, but there is only one epicenter intensity. The place where an earthquake occurs underground is called the "source", and the ground facing the source is called the "epicenter". Near the epicenter, the area with the largest vibration and the most serious damage is also called the "extreme earthquake zone".

The vertical distance from the epicenter to the source is called the focal depth. According to the focal depth, earthquakes are usually divided into shallow earthquakes (focal depth less than 70km), moderate earthquakes (focal depth 70km-300km) and deep earthquakes (focal depth more than 300km). More than 95% of the earthquakes in the world are in shallow earthquakes, with a focal depth of about 5-20km. Seismological network: a network composed of seismographs used to measure the three elements of earthquakes (time, place and magnitude). Theoretically, at least three seismometers are needed to accurately measure earthquakes. Earthquake occurrence time: the time when the earthquake began to occur. Epicenter: refers to the projection of the earthquake location on the ground, usually expressed by latitude and longitude. Magnitude: indicates the magnitude of energy released by earthquake, which is positively related to the logarithm of seismic wave amplitude recorded by seismograph.

Generally speaking, two earthquakes with magnitude difference of 1 have seismic energy difference of about 3 1 times. In addition, there can be more than one magnitude expression according to the different phases of seismic waves used. Focal depth: the distance between the earthquake location and the ground. Medium refers to the surface position directly above the earthquake source, or the place where the vibration damage is the most serious during the earthquake. In English, the first meaning of epicenter is "epicenter", followed by various disasters. Therefore, when people in the English-speaking world hear or see this word, they will have the association of "epicenter". However, if you want to introduce it to the public in Chinese, if you want to make it feel a little earthquake and have a certain language tension, you must do some technical processing on the text, that is, temporarily replace the "popular center" with the "epicenter".

The frequent earthquake disasters in the world, especially the Tangshan earthquake and Wenchuan earthquake, have left a deep impression on the people of China. Using the word "epicenter" to describe the global epidemic situation can release early warning information like a shock wave of a strong earthquake, which reminds people of the destructive intensity and tragic image of a big earthquake. Otherwise, although the scientific terminology is extremely accurate, the communication effect will be greatly reduced. Disasters and disasters often bring about changes in some cultural customs and idioms. This is a phenomenon that needs to be investigated from the perspective of culturology and linguistics.