foreshock
noun
fore·shock ˈfȯr-ˌshäk 
: any of the usually minor tremors commonly preceding the principal shock of an earthquake
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Once all was said and done, the July 5 quake was classified as the main shock, the July 4 quake, a foreshock. 
Madalyn Amato, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2021 The foreshock and flurry of aftershocks occurred at about the same depth, Jones said. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2021 Jones said there was a 5 percent chance that Friday's 4.6 quake could be a foreshock to a larger quake, KABC-TV of Los Angeles reported. Fox News, 19 Sep. 2020 Jones said that 5% of the time, an initial earthquake may actually be a foreshock that is preceding a larger earthquake. CBS News, 19 Sep. 2020 The strongest two — a 6.8 foreshock and the 7.1 mainshock — happened just four minutes apart. Sam Gross, USA TODAY, 16 May 2020 There were thousands of foreshocks and aftershocks felt throughout the region. CBS News, 16 July 2019 Vanacore says that this latest series of events seems to be more of a traditional earthquake sequence rather than a swarm, with a bigger temblor surrounded by its own entourage of smaller foreshocks and aftershocks. National Geographic, 11 Jan. 2020 When solar wind storms strike Earth, that solar radiation first crashes into a part of Earth’s magnetic field called the foreshock. Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 25 Nov. 2019 See More
Madalyn Amato, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2021 The foreshock and flurry of aftershocks occurred at about the same depth, Jones said. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2021 Jones said there was a 5 percent chance that Friday's 4.6 quake could be a foreshock to a larger quake, KABC-TV of Los Angeles reported. Fox News, 19 Sep. 2020 Jones said that 5% of the time, an initial earthquake may actually be a foreshock that is preceding a larger earthquake. CBS News, 19 Sep. 2020 The strongest two — a 6.8 foreshock and the 7.1 mainshock — happened just four minutes apart. Sam Gross, USA TODAY, 16 May 2020 There were thousands of foreshocks and aftershocks felt throughout the region. CBS News, 16 July 2019 Vanacore says that this latest series of events seems to be more of a traditional earthquake sequence rather than a swarm, with a bigger temblor surrounded by its own entourage of smaller foreshocks and aftershocks. National Geographic, 11 Jan. 2020 When solar wind storms strike Earth, that solar radiation first crashes into a part of Earth’s magnetic field called the foreshock. Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 25 Nov. 2019 See More Word History
First Known Use
1902, in the meaning defined above
foreshocks
noun
as in aftershocks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- aftershocks
- quakes
- shocks
- tremors
- earthquakes
- temblors
- shakes
- convulsions
- upheavals
- microseisms
- microearthquakes
- cataclysms
- seaquakes