Science 8

EARTHQUAKE

Earthquake - series of seismic waves traveling through the earth and is a result of
sudden release of energy.

Fault - fracture or break in Earth’s crust where earthquakes are most likely to occur
repeatedly.

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Fault zone - series of associated faults spread over an area.
Stress - force applied to rocks.
Three types of stress:

lis ·Tensional - stretched away from each other

·Compressional - pushed toward each other
·Shear - pushed perpendicular to the axis
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— When rocks are stretched or compressed along the horizon, they break and form a
fault plane at an angle fault moves or “slips” along the dip, these types of faults are called
dip-slip faults, which may be normal or reverse faults.
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Normal fault = hanging wall has moved downward.

Reverse fault = hanging wall moves up.
Thrust faults = special type of reverse fault
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Shear - special type of movement they are forced to move in parallel but opposite
directions

When rocks are made to shear, they break along a fault plane that forms in the direction
of the shear. The type of fault that forms is called strike-slip fault.
When shearing and compression/tension combine, oblique-slip faults may form.

Active Faults = faults that generated earthquakes within the last 10,000 years and may
continue to do so
Inactive Faults = those without a record of having generated earthquakes in the least
10,000 years but may possibly generate an earthquake in the future.

Creep - slow type of movement.

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Trenches - long, narrow, and usually steep-sided depressions in the ocean floor.

Elastic Potential Energy = subjected to compressional or tensional stress, stored jn the

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material
Seismic Energy = special type of kinetic energy, and it’s released when the rocks break
along a fault.
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ANATOMY OF AN EARTHQUAKE
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Focus - point in the rock’s zone of stress, where the breaking of rocks first starts and
seismic energy is released, also known as hypocenter.
Fault line - any edge of the fault plane that shows how much movement takes place
Fault scarp - when the fault plane is exposed above the ground, which is the indicator
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that there is a fault in the area.

Epicenter - point in earth’s surface directly above the focus.

Dr. Renato Solidum - helm of PHIVOLCS, in charge of monitoring, and mitigating

the disastrous effects of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis.

During an earthquake, several types of seismic waves are generated and travel
through the Earth. These waves can be classified into two main categories: body
waves and surface waves.

​ Body Waves:
● P-Waves (Primary Waves): These are the fastest seismic waves and are
the first to be recorded by seismographs. P-waves are compressional
waves that travel through solid rock and fluids. They push and pull the
ground in the direction the wave is traveling, similar to how sound
waves travel through air.
● S-Waves (Secondary Waves): S-waves are slower than P-waves and

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travel only through solid materials, not through liquids or gasses.
These waves move the ground up and down or side to side
perpendicular to the direction of wave travel. S-waves are responsible
for the shaking felt during an earthquake and can cause significant

​
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Surface Waves:
● Love Waves: Love waves are surface waves that move in a horizontal,
side-to-side motion perpendicular to the direction of wave travel.
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These waves produce a rolling motion that can cause buildings to sway.
● Rayleigh Waves: Rayleigh waves are also surface waves that cause the
ground to move in an elliptical motion, with the particles of the ground
moving in a retrograde, elliptical rolling motion. These waves can cause
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the ground to ripple up and down, similar to how water ripples when a
stone is thrown into it.

SEISMOGRAPH - can record one type of motion, either horizontal or vertical.

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The first true seismograph was invented in 1875 by an Italian physicist and priest, Filippo
Cecchi.

- In 1880, John Milne was credited for the invention of a sensitive horizontal pendulum
seismograph.

Thomas Lomar Gray & James Alfred Ewing

– Two imperial engineers who created seismographs with better precision.

Paper/data recorded by the seismograph or seismometers are called seismograms.

Types of waves:
· Primary waves or P waves - fastest wave
· Secondary waves or S waves - slowest wave
· Surface waves or Love waves - strongest wave

Intensity - tells how much a certain area was shaken (roman numerals)
Magnitude - describes the total amount of energy (hindu arabic decimals)

Fun facts you can share with the class:

1. The largest earthquake ever recorded was a magnitude 9.5 in Chile on May 22,
1960.

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2. The fastest seismic waves, called primary or P-waves, travel through the Earth
at speeds of about 6-7 km per second.
3. The term "seismology" refers to the scientific study of earthquakes and the
propagation of elastic waves through the Earth.

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