hypocenter

[ hahy-puh-sen-ter ]

noun

, Geology.

1. focus ( def 7 ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of hypocenter¹

First recorded in 1900–05; hypo- + center

Example Sentences

After news of the attack, Satoshi’s mother rushed to Hiroshima to search for her family, who lived half a mile from the hypocenter, where the A-bomb exploded.

From Los Angeles Times

The point in the Earth where the energy is first released is called the hypocenter, said Nate Onderdonk, professor of geological sciences at Cal State Long Beach.

From Los Angeles Times

An epicenter, then, is the point at the Earth’s surface above the hypocenter.

From Los Angeles Times

Only eight of those 20 had the other constraints Kearse and Kaneko needed to test their model, like the earthquake’s hypocenter.

From Science Magazine

Rather, the slip between rocks begins at one spot on the face of the fault—the hypocenter—and travels along it, like a zipper being unzipped.

From Science Magazine