Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region VII, Central Visayas
Division of Bohol
Grade 8 Science
2nd Quarter
L E A R N I N G A C T I V I T Y No. 1
Activity Title: Movements of faults that generate earthquakes.
Learning Using models or illustrations, explain how movements along faults
Competency: generate earthquakes (S8ES-IIa-14)
Reference: http://www.earthquakecountry.info/roots/basics.html
Suggested
Learners Manual, pp. 120-122
Activity:

Earthquakes occur on faults. A fault is a thin zone of crushed rock

separating blocks of the earth's crust. When an earthquake occurs on one of
these faults, the rock on one side of the fault slips with respect to the other.
Faults can be centimeters to thousands of kilometers long. The fault surface
can be vertical, horizontal, or at some angle to the surface of the earth.
Faults can extend deep into the earth and may or may not extend up to the
earth's surface.
How do we know a fault exists?
a. Past fault movement has brought together rocks that used to be
farther apart;
b. Earthquakes on the fault have left surface evidence, such as surface
ruptures or fault scarps (cliffs made by earthquakes);
c. Earthquakes recorded by seismographic networks are mapped and
indicate the location of a fault.

Some faults have not shown these signs and we will not know they are
there until they produce a large earthquake. Several damaging earthquakes in
California have occurred on faults that were previously unknown.

Exercise:
What is the relationship of faults and earthquakes?