EARTHQUAKES!

Video: Earthquakes 101

Chapter 12
 Section 1
• Earthquakes are caused by a sudden
release of energy when rocks move along
a fault.
• Elastic rebound is thought to cause the
rocks to move.
 Anatomy of an Earthquake
• Focus-location of first motion in Earth
• Epicenter-spot on surface above the focus

The focus can be shallow or deep

Shallow foci cause the most damage
 Seismic Waves
Body Waves:
 Travel through the Earth

 Made up of:

-P waves: primary, fastest

-S waves: secondary, second fastest, travel
through solids only
Earthquake Waves & Earth’s
Interior
 Seismic Waves and the Earth’s
Interior
 The speed and direction of seismic waves
gives us information about the Earth ’s
structure
 Waves travel at different speeds through
different materials
 Shadow Zones-areas where no body waves are
detected
Comparing Seismic Waves
 Seismic Waves (cont)
Surface Waves
 Slowest moving waves

 May cause the greatest damage

 2 Types:

-Rayleigh
-Love
Earthquakes and Plate Tectonics
 Most earthquakes occur at plate boundaries
(converging and diverging) where the stress is
the greatest
How Seismographs or Seismometers
Work, TB pg. 217

-measures ground motion and can be used to

determine the distance seismic waves travel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbd1FcuLJLQ

http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC-102VisualsIndex.HTM
How do scientists calculate how far a location
is from the epicenter of an earthquake?

 Scientists calculate the difference

between arrival times of the P waves
and S waves (lag time)

 The further away an earthquake is,

the greater the time between the
arrival of the P waves and the S waves
 They use the lag time to calculate a
distance to the epicenter
 Typical
Seismogram-
a graphical
illustration of EQ
waves

http://isu.indstate.edu/jspeer/Earth&Sky/EarthCh11.ppt
Locating Earthquakes

http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC-102VisualsIndex.HTM
Locating Earthquakes

http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC-102VisualsIndex.HTM
Locating Earthquakes

http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC-102VisualsIndex.HTM
 Section 2
 Seismographs record vibrations in the ground
 Magnitude: the strength of an earthquake,
Richter scale or moment magnitude (more
accurate)
 Intensity (amount of damage)-modified
Mercalli scale-from I-XII, oldest measurement
scale
How are Earthquakes Measured?
Richter Scale
 How are Earthquakes Measured?
Mercalli Intensity Scale

Click Link for Interactive Demo

http://elearning.niu.edu/simulations/images/S_portfolio/Mercalli/Mercalli_Scale.swf
Predicting Earthquakes-video clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFB-qpiKccs

 No reliable way to predict earthquakes: scientist

use the following information
 Scientists are trying to detect changes that occur
before an earthquake
 Seismic gaps are areas of low earthquake
activity, but have a history of strong activity-
might be spot for future earthquake
 Foreshocks-small earthquakes that precede a
large earthquake
 Soil Type
 Type of soil can affect how a building responds to seismic
waves.
 NEHRP has defined six different soil and rock types based on
their shear-wave velocity, in order to determine amplification
effects:
Type A, hard rock (igneous rock).
Type B, rock (volcanic rock).
Type C, very dense soil and soft rock (sandstone).
Type D, stiff soil (mud).
Type E, soft soil (artificial fill).
*Type A having the least amplification and Type
E the most.
 Section 3
Video: Tsunamis 101
 Tsunamis can form when the epicenter is on
the ocean floor
 Damage to structures depends on how they are
built and what type of ground they sit on