_____________________________________________________________________

Predict:
Consider the features of this text. _____________________________________________________________________
What could this text be about?
What might I learn from this text? _____________________________________________________________________

Monitor: _____________________________________________________________________
Does this make sense or do I need to
re-read a section? What does this
_____________________________________________________________________
word mean? clarification?

WHAT CAUSES EARTHQUAKES?

Deep in the Earth's crust there is a lot of heat pressure. Scientists have experiments which show that solid rocks
under intense heat can bend slowly without breaking. When this happens the rocks form folds. The folds which
bends downward to form U-shape are called synclines. Those which bends upwards like a curved roof are called
anticlines.

If the pressures in the Earth 's crust are very intense the rocks may break, especially near the surface where they are
brittle. When this happens the stored-up energy in the rock is suddenly released as a series of shock waves spreading
out in all directions, causing an earthquake. The crack in the Earth's crust along which movement occurs is called a
fault.

The earthquakes that have occurred in California have

been caused by Earth movements along a large fault
called the San Andreas fault. It is about 800 kilometres
long, and the western side moves northwards about
five centimetres each year. If this movement is slowed
or stopped the pressure builds up. When the rocks
move again the pressure is released and an earthquake
occurs.
 The San Andreas fault in California. A sudden shift of
about five metres along this fault caused the 1906 San
Francisco earthquake.

Instead of horizontal movement along a fault, you sometimes get vertical movement. This movement may be only a
fraction of a centimetre, or hundreds of metres.

Spencer
gulf and
St.
Vincent
Gulf in
South Australia are the result of vertical Earth movements along a series of faults. The crust has dropped down to
form the gulf, and Yorke Peninsula has been pushed up between them. It is because of these faults that there have
been so many earthquakes in this region of South Australia. Further movement along these faults is possible.

Summarise:
What are the main ideas or significant
details in this text? Describe or outline the
text in a clear and concise manner.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Questions
1 What is the difference between a syncline and an anticline?
2 Draw a diagram to show syncline and an anticline.
3 What is a fault, and explain how can it cause an earthquake?
4 A geologist finds the rock structure shown below. Infer how it was formed.
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________