The elastic rebound theory of an earthquake.

(a) Two crustal blocks, A and B, are

slowly forced to slide past each other. (b) Friction along the fault prevents slip, and the crust
is deformed. (c) Strain builds up until the “frictional lock” is broken at the focus; the blocks
rebound or spring back to their predeformational state as a rupture occurs. The focus of an
earthquake is the site of an initial slip on the fault. The epicenter is the point on the surface
directly above the focus. (d) The rupture spreads and an earthquake slip occurs over a
section of the fault. The imaginary white lines painted on the surface portray the
deformation before the earthquake and the rebound triggered by the earthquake (from Press
& Siever 2000). Geología, S. Rosas

Seismic waves radiate from the focus of an earthquake (from Press & Siever 2000).
Geología, S. Rosas

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Seismographs record (a) vertical or (b) horizontal motion. Because of its loose
coupling to the Earth through the spring (a) or hinge (b) and its inertia, the mass does not
keep up with the motion of the ground. The pen traces the differences in motion between the
mass and the ground, in this way recording vibrations of seismic waves. A typical
observatory has instruments to measure three components of ground motion: up-down,
horizontal east-west, and horizontal north-south (from Press & Siever 2000).
Geología, S. Rosas

Seismographic recording of P, S,
and surface waves from a
distant earthquake. The cross
section shows the path followed by
the three types of waves (from Press
& Siever 2000 and Grotzinger et al.
2007).
Geología, S. Rosas

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Comparison of P-wave and S-wave motions (from Press & Siever 2000 and
Grotzinger et al. 2007).
Geología, S. Rosas

In one type of surface wave.

(a), the ground vibrates in a rolling,
elliptical motion that dies down with
depth beneath the surface. In another
type of surface wave (b), the ground
shakes sideways, with no vertical
motion (from Press & Siever 2000 and
Grotzinger et al. 2007).

Geología, S. Rosas

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 Readings at different
seismographic
stations reveale the
location of the earthquake
epicenter (from Grotzinger et
al. 2007).

Geología, S. Rosas

The maximum amplitude of the ground shaking and the P-S wave interval, indicated on the
seismographic record, is used to asign a Richter magnitude to an earthquake (from
Grotzinger et al. 2007). Geología, S. Rosas

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Relation between Richter magnitude (scale on left), earthquake energy release in equivalent
pounds of explosives (scale on right), number of earthquakes per year worldwide (scale on
horizontal lines in colored area), an other large sources of sudden energy release (from
Grotzinger et al. 2007).
Geología, S. Rosas

(a)
(b)
The three main
types of fault
movements that
initiate
earthquakes and
the stresses that
cause them: (a)
situation before
movement takes
place; (b) normal
(c) fault due to
tensile stress; (c)
thrust (reverse)
(d) fault due to
compressive
stress; (d) strike-
slip (lateral) fault
due to shearing
stress (from
Press & Siever
2000).
Geología, S. Rosas

5
The first motion of P waves arriving at seismographic stations is used to determine the
orientation of the fault plane and the directions of slip. The case shown here is for the
rupture of a right-lateral strike-slip fault. Note that the alternating pattern of pushes and
pulls would remain the same if the plane perpendicular to the fault ruptures with left-lateral
displacement. Seismologists can usually choose between the two possibilities using
additional information, such as field mapping of the fault trace or alignments of aftershocks
along the fault plane (from Grotzinger et al. 2007). Geología, S. Rosas

World Seismicity. Earthquakes less than or equal to 50 km deep are in bleu;

those 50 to 300 km deep, green; and those deeper than 300 km, red. Deep-focus
earthquakes typically originate near margins where plates collide (from Grotzinger et
al. 2007).
Geología, S. Rosas

6
 Earthquakes
associated with two
types of plate
boundaries: divergent
boundaries at ocean
ridges and transform
faults (from Press &
Siever 2000 and
Grotzinger et al.
2007).

Geología, S. Rosas

Shallow- and deep-focus earthquakes at convergent plate boundaries. Earthquakes occur

because of compression forces. Alignment of deep-focus earthquakes along an inclined
plane led to the discovery of subducted plates (from Press & Siever 2000). Geología, S. Rosas

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 Geología, S. Rosas

Datos de la profundidad
del hipocentro del
sismo de
Moyobamba del 25
de septiembre de 2005 (de
Tavera et al. 2005)

Sismo de Pisco del

15 de agosto de 2007 (de
Tavera et al. 2007)

Geología, S. Rosas

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 Geología, S. Rosas

Geología, S. Rosas

Generation of a tsunami by fault movements caused

by an earthquake on the seafloor. Movement of the
seafloor due to an earthquake produces a surge of
water, which oscilates and flows out as a long sea
wave, or tsunami. Such a wave is only a few meters
high on the deep sea but can increase in height
manyfold when it enters shallow coastal waters (from
Press & Siever 2000).

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1999 Izmit Earthquake Fault Scarp, near Gölcük, Turkey
Geología, S. Rosas

Fissure along the

1999 Izmit
Earthquake Fault
Scarp, near Gölcük,
Turkey

Geología, S. Rosas

10
Lago Salada Fault, Northeastern Baja California, Mexico
Geología, S. Rosas

Geología, S. Rosas

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