epicenter , epicentre or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth 's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus , the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates . In most earthquakes , the epicenter is the point where the greatest damage takes place , but the length of the subsurface fault rupture may indeed be a long one , and damage can be spread on the surface across the entire rupture zone . As an example , in the magnitude 7.9 2002 Denali earthquake in Alaska , the epicenter was at the western end of the rupture , but the greatest damage was about away at the eastern end . Focal depths of earthquakes occurring in continental crust mostly range from . Continental earthquakes below are rare whereas in subduction zones earthquakes can originate at depths deeper than
2002 Denali earthquake
2002 Denali earthquake
Epicenter