The author is a scientific researcher in the Institute for Earth's Physics at Magurele-
Bucharest with publications in scientific journals on the theory of elasticity, focal

mechanism of earthquakes and statistical analysis of the seismic events.

This booklet is an introduction to the basic concepts of the physics of earthquakes. It may

be viewed as a short summary of the author's larger book Theory of Earthquakes. The

booklet introduces the tensorial force of the seismic moment, the notion of elementary

earthquakes and presents the static deformations, the primary seismic waves and the

seismic main shock produced by the tensorial force in an isotropic elastic half-space. The

mechanism of the earthquakes' focus and vibrations of the spherical Earth and the half-

space are also described, as well as earthquakes produced by meteorites or related to

seas and oceans. The seismic effects of the explosions are included, as well as elements

of structural engineering. The presentation makes use of the theory of elasticity, physics

of fluids and equations of mathematical physics.