OAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

CALZADA, OAS ALBAY

MODULE 9-10 GEOLOGY

Description: EARTH SCIENCE

NAME: ______________________________ YEAR & SECTION: ______________

I.Module Title:

EARTHQUAKES & PLATE TECTONICS

II. Module Description:

Earthquakes and Plate Tectonics. An earthquake is the sudden movement of Earth's

crust which occurs along fault lines, cracks in Earth's crust where tectonic plates meet.
They occur where plates are subducting, spreading, slipping, or colliding. As
the plates grind together, they get stuck and pressure builds up. Finally, the pressure
between the plates is so great that they break loose. The circum‐Pacific belt (also called
the Ring of Fire) follows the rim of the Pacific Ocean and hosts over 80 percent of the
world's shallow and medium‐depth earthquakes and 100 percent of the deep
earthquakes.
Plate tectonics is the scientific theory that attempts to explain the movements of the
Earth's lithosphere that have formed the landscape features we see across the globe
today. Oceanic and continental plates come together, spread apart, and interact at
boundaries all over the planet. As tectonic plates grind together at a fault line, the rocks
on either side stretch to absorb a certain amount of pressure. If the pressure becomes
too great, the rocks shatter, releasing shock waves that shake the surface.

III. Expected Outcome/ Objectives

1. Define earthquakes and plate tectonics

2. Identify the cause of earthquakes and plate tectonics.
3. Differentiate the three types of plate boundaries
IV. PRE-TEST: Read and understand carefully and encircle the correct answer.

1.) It is the sudden movement of earth’s crust which occurs along fault lines.

a. plate tectonics

b. earthquakes

c. divergent boundary

d. convergent boundary

2.) It is the scientific theory that attempts to explain the movements of the Earth's
lithosphere that have formed the landscape features we see across the globe today .

a. lithosphere

b. convergent boundary

c. divergent boundary

d. plate tectonics

3.) The Circum‐Pacific Belt also called _______?

a. plates

b. fault lines

c. earthquakes

d. ring of fire

4.) It represents fracture lines on the surface of the Earth where rocks on either side of
the crack have exhibited mechanical movements to release accumulated strain.

a. boundaries

b. plate tectonics

c. fault line

d. fracture line

5.) It is the field of study concerned with the solid earth.

a. oceanography

b. geology

c. meteorology

d. astronomy
V. Lesson Content

German meteorologist Alfred Wegener is often credited as the first to develop a theory
of plate tectonics, in the form of continental drift.

Earthquakes occur in well‐defined belts that correspond to active plate tectonic

zones. The circum‐Pacific belt (also called the Ring of Fire) follows the rim of the Pacific
Ocean and hosts over 80 percent of the world's shallow and medium‐depth earthquakes
and 100 percent of the deep earthquakes . Plate boundaries and associated
earthquakes. Distribution plots reveal that many earthquakes are associated with
andesitic volcanic action and oceanic trenches that occur over subduction zones in the
circum‐Pacific belt. Oceanic trenches are narrow, deep troughs that mark where two
plates converge, usually along the edge of a continent or island are where andesitic
volcanoes typically occur. Earthquakes originate in Benioff zones, zones that slope
downward from the trenches and under the overlying rocks at 30 to 60 degrees. Benioff
zones are closely associated with the subduction of a crustal plate below an adjacent
plate.

Almost all earthquakes occur at the edges of the crustal plates. The constant bumping,
grinding, and lateral movement along crustal boundaries can create sudden movements
that result in earthquakes. Each of the three types of plate boundaries—convergent,
divergent, and transform—has a distinctive pattern of earthquakes.

There are two kinds of convergent boundaries: subduction and collision.

A subduction boundary is marked by the oceanic crust of one plate that is being
pushed downward beneath the continental or oceanic crust of another plate. A collision
boundary separates two continental plates that are pushed into contact; the suture
zone is the line of collision. Both types of boundaries have distinctive earthquake
patterns.

Earthquakes associated with a collision boundary define shallow, broad zones of

seismic activity that form in complex fault systems along the suture zone. Earthquake
patterns in subduction zones are more complex. As the oceanic crust begins to
descend, it begins to break into blocks because of tension stress. Shallow earthquakes
in the upper part of the subduction zone are a result of shallow ‐angle thrust faults, in
which slices of plates slide like cards in a deck that is being shuffled. Earthquakes also
periodically occur as the plate continues to subduct up to a depth of about 670
kilometers (400 miles). First‐motion studies of these earthquakes suggest they result
from both compressional and tensional forces on the subducting plate.

Earthquakes are relatively abundant in the first 300 kilometers (180 miles) of a
subduction zone, are scarce from 300 to 450 kilometers (180 to 270 miles), and then
increase slightly again from 450 to 670 kilometers (270 to 400 miles). It is possible that
these deepest quakes are related to sudden mineral transformations and resultant
energy releases or volume changes. It has been theorized that earthquakes do not
occur at depths greater than 670 kilometers because the subducting plate is not brittle
anymore and has become hot enough to flow plastically.

The distribution of earthquake foci along a subduction zone gives an accurate profile of
the angle of the descending plate. Most often, plates start subducting at a shallow
angle, which becomes steeper with depth. The angle of subduction is proportional to the
density of the plate material, the amount of faulting and thrusting, and the tearing or
crumpling of the descending plate.

Divergent boundaries are those at which crustal plates move away from each other,
such as at midoceanic ridges. These huge underwater mountains often have a central
graben feature, or rift valley, that forms at the crest of the ridge. The formation of new
ocean crust that is pushed away from both sides of the ridge fault creates a tensional
setting that results in the formation of the graben. Earthquakes are located along the
normal faults that form the sides of the rift or beneath the floor of the rift. Divergent
faults and rift valleys within a continental mass also host shallow‐focus earthquakes.

Shallow‐focus earthquakes occur along transform boundaries where two plates move

past each other. The earthquakes originate in the transform fault, or in parallel strike‐slip
faults, probably when a frictional resistance in the fault system is overcome and the
plates suddenly move.

How are plate tectonics related to earthquakes?

 Earthquakes are the result of plate tectonics, or shifting plates in the crust of Earth, and
earthquakes occur when the frictional stress of gliding plate boundaries builds and
causes failure at a fault line. In an earthquake, elastic strain energy is released and
waves radiate, shaking the ground.

Earthquakes occur all the time all over the world, both along plate edges and along
faults. Most earthquakes occur along the edge of the oceanic and continental plates.
The earth’s crust (the outer layer of the planet) is made up of several pieces, called
plates. The causes of earthquakes are: induced earthquakes (caused by human activity,
like tunnel construction, filling reservoirs and implementing geothermal of fracking
projects.
ACTIVITY 1.

VI. SELF-CHECK:

1.Draw and label the different types of plate boundaries.

2.Describe each types of plate boundaries.

3. How are plate tectonics related to earthquakes?

4. What do you think is the cause of an earthquake? Give at least 5 causes of an

earthquake.

5. Where do earthquakes happen and why?

6. For you, what is the importance of studying geology?

References:
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/geology/earthquakes/earthquakes-and-plate-
tectonics