Earthquakes

All About Earthquakes: The Science

Behind Earthquakes
What is an earthquake? Why does the earth
shake when there is an
What causes earthquake?
earthquakes and where
do they happen? How are earthquakes
recorded?

And more…..
• THINK,
PAIR,
SHARE!
• Trade with
• Using your some one at
knowledge of your table and
Plate Tectonics, be ready to
how do share!
Earthquakes
cause all this
damage?
• Give three
reasons
 An Earthquake the vibration of
the Earth produced by the rapid
release of energy.
• Friction causes
the plates to get
stuck, building
pressure and
when the
pressure if
released, an
earthquake
occurs.
• The point where
the earthquake
starts is called
the focus.
 Where do Earthquakes Start?
• The starting point of an earthquake below ground
is called a focus, or hypocenter.
• The area directly above the hypocenter on land is
called the epicenter.
• Earthquakes are strongest at the epicenter and
become gradually weaker farther away!
 Definitions
• Earthquake = Vibration of the Earth produced by the rapid
release of energy

• Seismic waves = Energy moving outward from the focus of

an earthquake

• Focus= location of initial slip on the fault; where the

earthquake origins

• Epicenter= spot on Earth’s surface directly above the focus

 Locating the Epicenter

Geologists use seismic waves to locate an earthquake’s epicenter.

 Triangle Of Uncertainty
• The area where the 3
circles (from the 3 cities reporting a
quake) meet isn’t perfect.
They do not completely
overlap each other at the
exact location of the
epicenter.
• The space of overlap is
the TRIANGLE OF
UNCERTAINTY. The
earthquake started in this
area!
What causes earthquakes and where
do they happen?
• As with volcanoes, earthquakes are not randomly
distributed over the globe
Figure showing the
distribution of
earthquakes around
the globe

• At the boundaries between plates, friction causes

them to stick together. When built up energy causes
them to break, earthquakes occur.
 Where do they happen?
• Most often they happen where the plates meet
(fault lines)
• Sometimes in the middle of the plate where the
crust becomes very heavy and drops like a sink
hole. Ex: Mississippi River delta
Where do earthquakes form?

Figure showing the tectonic setting of earthquakes

 Earthquake key terms:
• Foot wall: The plate that doesn’t move during
an Earthquake.
• Hanging wall: The plate that moves during an
Earthquake.
• Fault plane: The plane along which the break
between two plates occurs.
• Fault line: The line in the surface of the Earth
caused by the fault plane.
• Friction causes
the plates to get
stuck, building
pressure and
when the
pressure if
released, an
earthquake
occurs.
• The point where
the earthquake
starts is called
the focus.
 How do they move?
5 ways
•Strike-Slip Quake (happen at
transform boundaries)
•Normal- Hanging wall moves
down. (divergent boundaries)
•Reverse/Thrust Quakes-
hanging wall moves up
(convergent boundaries.)
 How do they move?
• Horst Quakes
A horst represents a
block pushed
upward by the
faulting, and a
graben is a block
that has dropped
due to the faulting.
• Graben Quakes
Strike-slip Earthquakes
Normal Earthquake:
Normal Earthquake:
Reverse (Thrust) Earthquake:
Graben:
Horst:
 Warm Up
• 1. What is an earthquake?
• 2. Where do earthquakes happen?
• 3. What is a strike slip earthquake?
• 4. What is a normal earthquake?
• 5. What is a reverse earthquake?
• 6. What is a horst earthquake?
• 7. What is a graben earthquake?
 How are earthquakes recorded?

How do scientists measure the size of

earthquakes?
 Seismic Activity
• Earthquake activity commonly precedes an eruption
– Result of magma pushing up towards the surface
– Increase volume of material in the volcano shatters the
rock
– This causes earthquakes
Seismic Activity
Earthquake activity is measured by Seismographs
Seismographs are stationed on the flanks of the volcano
These record the frequency, duration and intensity of the
earthquakes and report it back to the volcano observatory.
 Earthquakes

• Large volumes of magma moving through

the shallow crust can cause large
earthquakes.
• This can lead to building collapse, slope
failure and avalanches
 How are Earthquakes Measured?

• Earthquakes are measured based on three

different scales.
• The first measures the actual size or magnitude of
the quake.
• The second measures the effects or damage of the
quake.
• The third measures the total energy of the quake.
 Measuring earthquakes
• Seismometers:
instruments that detect
seismic waves
• Seismographs
Record intensity, height
and amplitude of seismic
waves
 How is the Size of Earthquakes
Measured?
• A seismograph is the the tool used to measure the
strength of an earthquakes
• The seismograph prints out a seismogram that
scientists read to determine the strength of the
quake.
• The data from the seismogram is translated into a
1-10 rating on the Richter Scale. Each step in the
scale represents a tenfold increase in the size of
the quake!
 What is a Seismograph
• The Modern Seismograph
• Seismic waves cause the seismograph’s drum to vibrate. But the
suspended weight with the pen attached moves very little.
Therefore, the pen stays in place and records the drum’s
vibrations.
Sequencing

How a Seismograph Works

Incoming seismic waves

Vibrate the rotating drum

The suspended pen remains motionless and

records the drum’s vibration.
 Earthquake size: ways to measure
1) Magnitude: Richter Scale
• Measures the energy released by fault movement
• related to the maximum amplitude of the S wave
measured from the seismogram
• Logarithmic-scale; quantitative measure
• For each whole number there is a 31.5 times increase
in energy
• eg. an increase from 5 to 7 on the Richter scale = an
increase in energy of 992 times!!
 How do you tell how severe an
earthquake is?
• Earthquakes generate seismic
waves which can be detected with a
sensitive instrument called a
seismograph .
• The Richter Scale is based in
energy released as measured by
maximum wave amplitude on a
seismograph.
 Richter Scale
Richter scale no. No. of earthquakes per year Typical effects of this magnitude

< 3.4 800 000 Detected only by seismometers

3.5 - 4.2 30 000 Just about noticeable indoors

4.3 - 4.8 4 800 Most people notice them, windows rattle.

4.9 - 5.4 1400 Everyone notices them, dishes may break, open doors swing.

5.5 - 6.1 500 Slight damage to buildings, plaster cracks, bricks fall.

Much damage to buildings: chimneys fall, houses move on

6.2  6.9 100
foundations.

Serious damage: bridges twist, walls fracture, buildings may

7.0 - 7.3 15
collapse.

7.4 - 7.9 4 Great damage, most buildings collapse.

> 8.0 One every 5 to 10 years Total damage, surface waves seen, objects thrown in the air.
2) Intensity: Mercalli Scale:

– What did you feel?

– Assigns an intensity or rating to measure an earthquake at a
particular location (qualitative)
– I (not felt) to XII (buildings nearly destroyed)
– Measures the destructive effect

• Intensity is a function of:

• Energy released by fault
• Geology of the location
• Surface substrate: can magnify shock waves e.g. Mexico City
(1985) and San Francisco (1989)
 How are the Effects Measured?
• The Mercalli Scale measures the earthquake’s
effects on a scale of 1-12 (in Roman Numerals).
This is determined by scientists surveying the
damage and then rating it on the scale. This scale
is VERY subjective!
• I: only detected by seismographs.
• VI: felt by all, but very little damage
• XII: causes total destruction.
Measuring Earthquakes
The Mercalli scale was developed to rate earthquakes according to the amount
of damage at a given place.
 Moment Magnitude Scale
• Preferred by scientists and seismologists to the
Richter scale because moment magnitude is more
precise.
• not based on instrumental recordings of a quake,
but is based on the area of the fault that
ruptured in the quake.
– calculated by multiplying the area of the fault's rupture
surface by the distance the earth moves along the
fault….this calculation is more precise than a tool or
scientist opinion!
Can scientists predict earthquakes?
• What is liquefaction? • Why is liquefaction a
concern?
Liquefaction may occur
when water-saturated Liquefaction has caused
sandy soils are subjected significant property
to earthquake ground damage in many
shaking. earthquakes around the
world
 Where is liquefaction likely to occur?
Two conditions must exist for liquefaction to occur:

• (1) the soil must be • (2) ground shaking must

susceptible to liquefaction be strong enough to cause
(loose, water-saturated, susceptible soils to liquefy.
sandy soil, typically
between 0 and 30 feet
below the ground surface)
and
 The most susceptible soils are
generally along rivers, streams, and
lake shorelines, as well as in some
ancient river and lake deposits.
 How is liquefaction potential
determined?
• The liquefaction potential categories shown on this map
depend on the probability of having an earthquake within a
100-year period that will be strong enough to cause
liquefaction in those zones.

High liquefaction potential means that there is a 50%

probability of having an earthquake within a 100-year period
that will be strong enough to cause liquefaction.
Moderate means that the probability is between 10% and 50%,
low between 5 and 10%, and very low less than 5%.
 What can be done?
• To determine the liquefaction potential and
likelihood of property damage at a site, a site
specific geotechnical investigation by a qualified
professional is needed. If a hazard exists, various
hazard-reduction techniques are available, such
as soil improvement or special foundation design.
The cost of site investigations and/or mitigation
measures should be balanced with an acceptable
risk.