SCIENCE 8

DO YOU LIVE NEAR AN

ACTIVE FAULT?
What is an active fault?
An active fault is one that has
move in the past and is expected to
move again.
An active fault has generated
earthquake before and is capable of
causing more in the future.
Scientists use different ways to find out if a fault is active or
not.
One is by checking the country’s historical records because historians
always write about destructive events such as earthquakes.

Another is by studying the vibrations, past ang present, that come from
faults. Still another way is by observing the surroundings. For example, a fault
may cross a road and because of that, the road is displaced.

But along some faults, the effects may be dramatic. Suppose a house was
built on a fault. As the ground shifts little by little, parts of the house will be
affected. The floor will crack, doors will not close, and the roof may start to
leak..

As far as possible, no important structures should be built near or on them.

PHIVOLCS has a map that shows the active faults in the Philippines (Figure
14).
THANKYOU!