Earthquakes

What Is An Earthquake? Click here to find out

Adapted from powerpoint by Liz LaRosa http://www.middleschoolscience.com 2009

 What is an earthquake?
• Used to describe both sudden slip on a fault, and the resulting
ground shaking and radiated seismic energy caused by the slip
• Caused by volcanic or plate activity,

http://eqseis.geosc.psu.edu

The map above shows the distribution of earthquakes with magnitudes greater
than 5.0 that occurred between 1965 and 1995.
Three Types of Faults Animation of fault movement

Strike-Slip Reverse

Normal
 Normal fault

Pulls on the crust stretching rock so that it becomes thinner (like pulling
on bubble gum) = tension
Occurs when plates are moving apart

Hanging wall

Foot wall

Results in hanging wall slipping downward

animation
 What type of fault?

normal

Hanging wall
Foot wall

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/eqr/GeoD_Structures.htm
 What causes earthquakes?
• Tectonic plates move past each other causing
stress. Stress causes the rock to deform
– What type of fault boundary is this? transform
– What type of stress is shown? shearing
 Strike – slip fault
Rocks on either side of fault slip past each other sideways with little
up or down motion -
What type of stress is produced? shearing

Occurs at a transform plate boundary

Animation of strike-slip motion

Fault rupture across road in western Kaynasli, right-lateral strike slip displacement was
about 4.0 m (13 feet) at this location http://www.geerassociation.org/GEER_Post%20EQ
%20Reports/Duzce_1999/kaynasli1.htm
 Reverse fault

Pushes on the crust squeezing rock until it folds or breaks (like a trash
compactor) = compression
Occurs when plates are moving together

Hanging wall
Foot wall

Results in hanging wall slipping upward animation

 What type of fault? reverse

Hanging wall

Foot wall

http://geologicalintroduction.baffl.co.uk
What type of fault?

http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC-102VisualsIndex.HTM
 Focus – 1. point inside the Earth where an
earthquake begins
Epicenter – 2. point on Earth’s surface above focus where
earthquake is FELT most strongly

1
 How Seismographs Work
A seismograph is an instrument used for recording the intensity and
duration of an earthquake.

the pendulum remains

fixed as the ground
moves beneath it

http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC-102VisualsIndex.HTM
 Earthquakes
• How are earthquakes measured?

Seismogram –
seismic wave
display record

Seismograph
machine
Seismic Waves
 Primary Waves (P Waves)

• A type of seismic wave that compresses

and expands the ground

• The first wave to arrive at an earthquake

http://daphne.meccahosting.com/~a0000e89/insideearth2.htm
 Secondary Waves (S Waves)

• A type of seismic wave that moves the

ground up and down or side to side

http://daphne.meccahosting.com/~a0000e89/insideearth2.htm
Comparing Seismic Waves
 Surface Waves
• Move along the Earth’s surface
• Produces motion in the upper crust
– Motion can be up and down
– Motion can be around
– Motion can be back and forth
• Travel more slowly than S and P waves
• More destructive

Animation of wave types

How do scientists calculate how far a location is
from the epicenter of an earthquake?

• Scientists calculate the difference

between arrival times of the P waves
and S waves

• The further away an earthquake is,

the greater the time between the
arrival of the P waves and the S waves
 Typical Seismogram

How much time elapsed between the arrival of the

P wave (start) and the arrival of the S wave (finish)?

start finish

http://isu.indstate.edu/jspeer/Earth&Sky/EarthCh11.ppt
 Locating Earthquakes

http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC-102VisualsIndex.HTM
 Locating Earthquakes

http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC-102VisualsIndex.HTM
Now you are going to be seismologists
and locate an Earthquake

http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC-102VisualsIndex.HTM

Go to: http://tinyurl.com/11quake13

Click here to go to virtual earthquake site

National Geographic earthquake information
How are Earthquakes Measured? Richter
Scale

A logarithmic scale
used to express the
total amount of
energy released
magnitude of an
___________
earthquake. Its
values typically fall
between 0 and 9,
with each increase
of 1 representing a
_________ increase
10-fold
in energy.
 How are Earthquakes Measured? Mercalli
Intensity Scale
A scale of earthquake intensity based on ___________
observed effects
and ranging from I (detectable only with instruments) to
XII (causing almost total destruction).

Click for Interactive Demo Go to http://tinyurl.com/13quake13

Earthquake Waves & Earth’s Interior

Seismic wave animation

 Seismic
Waves in
the Earth

Click here for animation

http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC-102VisualsIndex.HTM
 Tsunamis
Click here for explanation of a tsunami

http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC-102VisualsIndex.HTM
 Formation of a tsunami
a large ocean wave usually caused by an underwater earthquake
or a volcanic explosion.

PBS –tsunami animation

http://isu.indstate.edu/jspeer/Earth&Sky/EarthCh11.ppt
With typical waves, water flows in circles, but with a tsunami, water
flows straight. This is why tsunamis cause so much damage!

Click here for Japan helicopter view of tsunami

 Tsunami Warning System

http://isu.indstate.edu/jspeer/Earth&Sky/EarthCh11.ppt
 Review Questions
1. A large ocean wave usually caused by an
underwater earthquake or a volcanic explosion.

tsunami

2. Used to describe both a sudden slip on a fault,

and the resulting ground shaking and radiated
seismic energy caused by the slip

earthquake
How are Earthquakes Measured?
3. Which one uses a logarithmic scale to express the
total amount of energy released or magnitude of an
earthquake.

Richter Scale

4. Which uses a scale of earthquake intensity

based on observed effects and ranging from I
(detectable only with instruments) to XII (causing
almost total destruction).

Modified Mercalli Scale

 What type of fault is shown by each picture?

1.
2.

Normal
Reverse

3. Transverse
or strike-slip
Which type of wave travels through solids only?

S-wave
Which type of wave causes the most destruction?

Surface or
Love waves
 What type of fault?

Source: indiana.edu

http://geologicalintroduction.baffl.co.uk B
A
Strike –slip or
Hanging wall has moved upward
transverse fault
Reverse fault
 Focus – 1. point inside the Earth where an
earthquake begins
Epicenter – 2. point on Earth’s surface above focus where
earthquake is FELT most strongly

1
 People walk along a damaged road in the province of
Bohol on Tuesday, October 15, 2013.

Do you think this was a major earthquake? Why or why not?

 Yes, it was a major quake.
It crumbled a number of buildings

Such as this church

7.1 magnitude earthquake hit the Philippines

 Earthquakes

3. Surface

1. P-wave 2. S-wave

Seismogram
4. ____________
seismic wave
display record

5. Seismograph
__________
machine