EARTHQUAKES

and
FAULTS
RECALL

•What is an
earthquake?
• An earthquake is caused by a sudden
slip on a fault. The tectonic plates are
always slowly moving, but they get
stuck at their edges due to friction.
When the stress on the edge
overcomes the friction, there is an
earthquake that releases in the form
of energy in waves that travel through
the earth's interior and crust that
cause the shaking that we feel.
•What is a
fault?
• A fault is a fracture or zone of
Fractures between two blocks of
rock. Faults allow the blocks to move
relative to each other. This
movement may occur rapidly, in the
form of an earthquake, or may occur
slowly, in the form of creep.
 •How do faults
produce quakes?
• Energy from Earth’s interior makes the
ground move. Friction holds the rocks
together. Once the friction is overcome,
the ground will move and an earthquake
will occur.
• Earthquakes are caused when faults slip
suddenly. Friction between the two sides
of a fault keeps it from moving until the
stress on the fault overcomes the friction,
then the fault slips and creates an
earthquake.
• What are the
three types of
fault?
 • NORMAL FAULT

• A dip-slip fault in which the block above the

fault has moved downward relative to the
block below. This type of faulting occurs in
response to extension. “Occurs when the
“hanging wall” moves down relative to the
“foot wall”.
 • REVERSE FAULT

•A dip-slip fault in which the upper block, above

the fault plane, moves up and over the lower
block. This type of faulting is common in areas
of compression, When the dip angle is shallow,
a reverse fault is often described as a thrust
fault. “Occurs where the “hanging wall” moves
up or is thrust over the “foot wall”.
 •STRIKE SLIP FAULT

• A fault on which the two blocks slide

past one another. The San Andreas Fault
is an example of a right lateral fault.
•What Are the Types
of Stresses in the
Earth's Crust?
 •Compression Stress

• Compression is a type of stress that causes the rocks to push or

squeeze against one another. It targets the center of the rock and
can cause either horizontal or vertical orientation. In horizontal
compression stress, the crust can thicken or shorten. In vertical
compression stress, the crust can thin out or break off. The force of
compression can push rocks together or cause the edges of each
plate colliding to rise. Mountains are a result of high-impact
compression stress caused when two plates collided.
 • Tension Stress
• Tension is the opposite of compression. While
compression forces the rocks and crust to collide
and move together, tension forces the rocks to pull
apart. Tension can happen in two ways. Two
separate plates can move farther away from each
other, or the ends of one plate can move in different
directions. Some scientists think tension stress
caused the ancient, massive continent Pangaea to
break off into the seven continents we have today.
 • Shear Stress

• When shear stress occurs, the force of the stress pushes

some of the crust in different directions. When this
happens, a large part of the crust can break off, which
makes the plate size smaller. Shear stress usually
happens when two plates rub against each other as
they move in opposite directions. The friction of a shear
stress at the edges of the plate can cause earthquakes.
Confining Stress
• When stress is applied to all sides of the crust,
confining stress occurs. When this happens, the
crust compacts, which makes it look smaller. If
the stress is too much for the crust to handle,
the crust can fracture from the inside. This
causes the crust weight to decrease but the crust
shape remains the same. Because this type of
stress can hollow out the insides of the crust,
confining stress can cause sinkholes in the Earth.
 EARTHQUAKES
and
FAULTS
Lesson 4: Focus and Epicenter
 Objectives:

• Familiarize with the different terminologies associated with an earthquake.

• Explain the difference between focus and epicenter.
• Determine the location of a fault line, focus, and epicenter through fault model activity.
• Demonstrate how movement along faults affects the surroundings.
Where Does An Earthquake
Start?
 ACTIVITY 1:
(Fault Model Making)
 On which location on the ground does the
initial movement
originates during an earthquake?

How does this movement (shaking) spread

into the surface?
 ACTIVITY 2:
Identifying the Parts of an
Earthquake
Draw and label the diagram below.

Epicenter Focus Fault line Earth’s crust tectonic plates

 Earth’s surface

Fault plane
The upper surface of the model represents the surface of the Earth.
Fault line The trace of the fault on the surface of the Earth is called the fault line.
The flat surface between the two pieces is called the fault plane. This is where fault slip or
fault movement happens.
 The place where the fault
Epicenter
begins to slip is called the
focus. It is where the first
movement occurs. Thus, the
Focus
focus is the origin of the
earthquake.
The spot directly above the
focus on the surface of the
Earth is called the epicenter.