Yuri Gorokhovich, Natural Hazards and Disasters

GEO340-GEP635
Lab 2. Using earthquake data to map fault lines (Haiti earthquake)
Earthquake data source:
http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/epic/epic.html
National Earthquake Data Center (information about earthquakes, including maps):
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/neic/

Lab learning goals:

1. Learn how to download earthquake data (as ASCII text file) and visualize it in GIS.
2. Analyze seismic data in GIS to find location of major tectonic faults
3. Analyze attribute table data (Magnitude and Depth) to evaluate statistically faults
parameters.

Wider scientific background:

The ability to see patterns is essential for any scientist working with spatially distributed
data. Various data models (e.g. points, lines and polygons) that we use to describe natural
phenomenon or object will display quite different spatial patterns. The ability to see
patterns connects student to concepts of shape, size, scale, interpolation, extrapolation
and trend that can be introduced through the pattern recognition study. The simplest
level of this study is visual observation that we will pursue in this lab.

Clues for geologic analysis:

1. Faults are characterized by dense location of epicenters and high magnitudes
(exceeding 4.0 or 5); epicenter locations are points that form clusters and spatial
patterns (see Lecture 2 slides).
2. Shallow depth (< 25-30 km) of earthquakes increase probability of high impact and
destruction of the infrastructure.

Summary of GIS operations/methods that you will use:

1. Import ASCII text files in ArcGIS and create shapefile
2. Use Symbology tool to visualize spatial data (in this case epicenters of earthquakes) as
points using their attribute values (i.e. Magnitude)
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Yuri Gorokhovich, Natural Hazards and Disasters

3. Use Drawing tools (lines) to make geologic interpretation
4. Export your map as JPEG image for inclusion in other documents (Word, Power Point,
etc.)
5. Learn how to select geographic features on the map and estimate statistics of their
attribute values (in this case Depth and Magnitude of earthquakes) from their attribute
tables.

Task 1. Getting data on earthquake locations, magnitude and depth

Navigate to the web site: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/search/

This is a USGS web site that provides data on historical and modern earthquakes. In this web
page you can select earthquakes using four geographical coordinates that refer to your area
of interest and also the output data format. In your search select the following parameters:

Date and Time:

1900 2015

Depth:

Maximum: 100

Magnitude:

Minimum: 4

Geographic Region:

Use Draw Rectangle on the Map option to find Haiti and draw

rectangle. See picture below:

Output Options: CSV

Yuri Gorokhovich, Natural Hazards and Disasters

Click button Search

Now watch attentively how computer will download file query.csv and where it will
reside. Usually it is in the folder Downloads. (C:\Users\<Username>\Downloads)

Find this file and rename it to query_Haiti.csv

Task 2. Converting obtained text file into GIS shapefile

Start ArcMap interface (Start ArcGIS ArcMap 10.1)

Click button Add Data

and add your text file query_Haiti.csv to the table of

content (TOC).

Right-click on it in TOC and select Open

You should see the following table:

Scroll through this table and see time/date when earthquakes occurred (time), their
magnitudes (mag), depths (depth), etc.

Right-click on field Mag and select Statistics.

Question 2. What is the maximum and minimum recorded magnitude of all earthquakes?
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Yuri Gorokhovich, Natural Hazards and Disasters

Right-click on the field Depth and select Statistics.

Question 3. What is the maximum and minimum recorded depth of earthquakes?

Close the table

Click on ArcMap menu File Add Data Add XY Data

Set up X field as Longitude and Y field as Latitude

Click button Edit Select Geographic Coordinate System

World WGS 1984.prj

Click Add OK

You should see now layer query_Haiti.csv.Events in your TOC.

Now we need to save this dataset as GIS shapefile for the future analysis in GIS.

Right-click on this layer and select Data Export Data. Make sure that your Output
Shapefile will be stored in the same location as all your other data for his lab. Set
Save as type as a shapefile. Give it a name haiti_quakes.

Add haiti_communes to your TOC. This GIS data helps you to see Haiti.

Add haiti_quakes to your TOC

Remove query_Haiti.csv and query_Haiti.csv.Events from your TOC

Task 4. Visualizing Earthquake Epicenters

Our new shapefile haiti_quakes is a point feature. Its attribute table contains fields Depth
and Mag (i.e. Magnitude). The following steps will guide you through visualization of
Magnitude.

Make sure that haiti_quakes is in your TOC and it is above haiti_communes

shapefile.

Yuri Gorokhovich, Natural Hazards and Disasters

You should see map similar to this:

1. Right-click on haiti_quakes Properties Symbology tab

2. In the left side of Symbology window select Quantities Graduated symbols
3. In Fields area find Value field and select Mag field for it. See below:

Yuri Gorokhovich, Natural Hazards and Disasters

Click OK. You should see data as below. Notice the distribution of earthquake epicenters with
high and low magnitudes, see how similar magnitude ranges are clustered.

Save your ArcMap project (File Save).

Using line tool (see tools in Draw menu at the bottom bar of ArcMap);

If bar does not show up there, do Customize Toolbars Draw, and dock the
Draw menu at the bottom.

Draw approximate locations of two main faults that can be deduced from the cluster
pattern in your visualization of earthquakes epicenters. Each line should pass
approximately between clusters of epicenters of high magnitudes. When you finish
drawing line and right-click on it you can change properties such as line width and
color. See example below. Circles depict boundaries of clusters; red lines depict
faults if we consider that points are epicenters.
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Yuri Gorokhovich, Natural Hazards and Disasters

Question 4. Save the image with drawn fault lines (File Export Map) as a JPEG file and
attach to your homework as an answer to this question.

Question 5. Compare your results with data on Figure 1 (see paper in PDF format
Manaker_etal_2008.pdf attached to this lab). Which faults (name them) can you identify
from Figure 1 that match your own interpretation?

Question 6. Instead of using Symbology and mapping Mag symbolize and map Depth
(repeat the same steps but use field Depth instead of Mag). What can you say about the
Depth of northern (top) and southern (bottom) faults that you outlined in Question 5? Which
one is shallow and which one is deep?

Question 7. Which fault (name it) is closer to the Port-Au-Prince? To locate Port-Au-Prince
see Google Earth or a map in Task 1, page 2, this document.
Question 8. Using Identify tool in ArcMap (see Lab 1), check few epicenter locations near
Port-Au-Prince. What are their depths?
Question 9. Using Identify tool in ArcMap (see Lab 1), check few epicenter locations on the
northern fault line, above the Haitis northern coastline. What are their depths?

Question 10. Using data from question 8 and 9 explain why earthquakes near Port-AuPrince might have more damaging effect on the city? Can it be explained just by the close
proximity of their epicenters to Port-Au-Prince? Can use textbook, clues for geologic
analysis at the beginning of this lab (first page) or other sources for additional information.
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