Seismology

 It is the study of the generation, propogation and Inner Core

measurement of seismic waves through earth and the sources
that generate them.  It was discovered in 1936 by Inge Lehmann and is genrally
 It comes from the greek word “seismos” meaning believed to be composed of primarily of iron and some nickel.
“earthquake” and “logia” meaning “study of”.  The density in the inner core are between 12,600-13000
kg/m3.
Engineering Seismology
Earthquake
 It is the study and application of seismology for engineering
purposes.  It is manifested as ground shaking caused by the sudden
 It is generally applied to the branch of seismology that deals release of energy in the Erath’s crust.
with the assessment of seismic hazard of a site or a region for  It is recognized to be the symptoms of active tectonic
the purposes of earthquake engineering. movements.
Two Principal Components of Engineering Seismology Causes of Earthquake
1. Studying Earthquake History  Dislocation of crust
2. Studying Strong Ground Motion  Volcanic eruption
 Man-made explosions
Spherical Shells
 Collapse of underground cavities such as mines or karts
 It is the layer of the interior structure of the earth.
Plates
 These layers can be defined by their chemical and their
rheological properties.  Are large and stable rigid rock slabs with a thickness of about
Two ways on how to define the structure of the earth 100 km forming the crust or lithosphere and part of the upper
mantle of the earth.
1. Mechanically
Theory of Continental Drift
 Litosphere
 Asthenosphere  The lithosphere is divided into 15 rigid plates, including
 Mesopheric Mantle continental and oceanic crust.
 Outer Core
 Inner Core Seismic Belts
2. Chemically
 Crust  It is the plate boundaries where earthquakes occur.
 Upper Mantle Divergent or Rift Zones
 Lower Mantle
 Outer Core  It is when plates separate themselves from one another and
 Inner Core either an effusion of magma occurs or the lithosphere diverges
from the interior of the earth.
Crust
Convergent or Subduction Zones
 It ranges from 5-70 kilometers in depth and is the outermost
layer.  It is when adjacent plates converge and collide.
 It is the outer rock layer with in internal complex geological  Two types of convergent zones exist : oceanic and continental
structure and non-uniform thickness of 25-60 km under lithosphere convergent boundaries.
continents and 4-6 km under oceans.
Oceanic Lithosphere Convergent Boudary
Rocks of the Crust
 It occurs when two plates consisting of oceanic lithosphere
 Sial collide.
 Sima
Continental Lithosphere Convergent Boundary
Mantel
 It occurs when both grinding plates consist of continental
 It extends to a depth of 2890 km, making it the thickest layer litho-sphere.
of the earth.
 It is divided into upper and lower mantle. Circum-Pacific and Eurasian Belts
 The upper and lower mantle is seprated by “Transition Zone”.  Are examples of oceanic and continental lithosphere
 It is composed of silicate rocks that are rich in iron and boundaries.
magnesium relative to the overlying crust.
 The viscosity of the mantle ranges between 1021 and 1024 Pa-s Transform Zones or Transcurrent Horizontal Slip
and that of pitch is 1027 Pa-s.
 It is the portion of the earth’s interior below the crust,  It is when two plates glide past one another but without
extending from a depth of about 30 km to about 2900 km; it creating new lithosphere or subducting old lithosphere.
consist of dense silicate rocks.
San Andreas in California
D” Layer
 It is an example of a transform boundary connecting two
 It is the lowest part of the mantle next to the core-mantle spreading ridges, namely the North America and Pacific
boundary. Plates in the Gulf of California to the south and the Gorda
Ridge in the north.
5515 kg/m3
Parameters used to describe fault motion
 The average density of the earth.
1. Azimuth
Core 2. Dip
3. Slip or Rake
 It is divided into four parts, a “solid” inner core with a radius 4. Relative Displacement
of ≅ 1220 km and a liquid outer core extending beyond it to a 5. Area
radius of ≅ 3400 km.
Dip-Slip Faults
  It is when one block moves vertically with respect to the
other.

Strike-Slip Faults

 It is when the adjacent blocks moves horizontally past one

another.

Focus or Hypocentre

 It the the point under the surface where the rupture is said to
be originated.

Types of Earthquakes

1. Shallow
2. Intermediate
3. Deep Focus

Type of Elastic Waves

1. Body Waves
 It travels through the earth’s interior layers.
 They include longitudinal or primary waves also known as
“P-Waves” and transverse or secondary waves also called
as “S-Waves”.
2. Surface Waves

Intensity

 It is a non-instrumental perceptibility measure of damage to

structures, ground surface effects, for example fractures,
cracks and landslides, and human reactions to earthquake
shaking.