You are watching tv with a friend when there is a special bulletin about a city in california being devastated by an earthquake. the news anchor reports that the epicenter of the earthquake is 45 miles east of los angeles. how would you explain the definition of the epicenter to your geologically impaired friend?

The location on Earth's surface exactly above the point of origin or the earthquake

Explanation:

In seismology, the epicenter refers to the point on the Earth's surface that is directly above the point of origin of an earthquake. The epicenter is the location where the greatest damage occurs and as we go further from the epicenter, the damage is lesser.

So, using everyday terms, you could tell your friend that the epicenter is the location on Earth's surface exactly above the point of origin or the earthquake (which in this case was 45 miles east of LA)