Prevent Earthquake

We cannot prevent natural earthquakes from occuring but

we can significantly mitigate their effects by identifying
hazards, building safer structures, and providing education on
earthquake safety. By preparing for natural earthquakes we
can also reduce the risk from human induced earthquakes.
 Causes of earthquakes
• Earthquakes are caused by tectonic
movements in the Earth’s crust.
• The main cause is that when tectonic plates
collide, one rides over the other, causing
orogeny (mountain building), earthquakes and
volcanoes.
Divergent Boundary
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 release
energy in waves that
travel through the
earth’s crust and cause
the shaking that we
feel.
 Stress in Earth’s Crust
STRESS- is a force that squeezes rocks together,
stretches or pulls them apart, or pushes them in
different directions.

* As tectonic plates move, they cause stress in

the crust, which in turn produces faults and folds
 AFTERSHOCKS
• An aftershock is an earthquake that
occurs after a previous earthquake, the
mainshock.
• An aftershock is in the same region of the
main shock but always of a smaller
magnitude.
• Aftershocks are formed as the crust
adjusts to the effects of the main shock.
Anatomy of Earthquake (Picture Analogy)
Picture 2: Diagram of the Main Features
Picture 1: Broken windshield of an Earthquake
 Features of an Earthquake

Answer the following questions:

1. Compare the picture of the broken windshield with the diagram of
the main features or earthquakes.
2. Identify the parts shown in the diagram.
3. What can you see in the two illustrations?
4. Can you identify from the illustrations the main features of an
earthquake?
 FOCUS AND EPICENTER
 The focus is the point within
the earth where seismic waves
originate. It is the part of the
fault that has the greatest
movement
 The epicenter is a location on
the earth’s surface directly
above the focus.
 The Fault plane is the flat
surface along which there is
slip (fault) during an
earthquake.
 SEISMIC WAVES
 As an earthquake occurs,
seismic waves move out in
all directions from the
focus.
 The energy released
during an earthquake is
carried by vibrations called
Seismic Waves.
 As the rocks break and
move, potential energy is
transformed into kinetic
energy in the form of
seismic waves.
 FAULTS
A fault is a break in the
Earth’s crust along which
significant movement has
taken place
 FAULTS
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.
Types of Fault
 Types of Fault
There are three main types of fault that may cause an earthquake: normal,
reverse (thrust) and strike-slip.
1. Normal faults occur mainly in
areas where the crust is being
extended. Reverse faults
occur in areas where the
crust is being shortened.
 In a normal fault, the hanging
wall slips down relative to the
footwall
 Normal faults are formed
along divergent boundaries.
 Types of Fault
2. Reverse/ Thrust faults occur
in areas where the crust is
being shortened
• Thrust faults are formed
along convergent boundaries.
 Types of Fault
3. Strike-slip faults are steep
structures where the two
sides of the fault slip
horizontally past each other.
• Strike- slip faults are formed
along transform boundaries.
 ACTIVE and INACTIVE FAULTS
Earthquake faults are
caused by the
Active Faults
movement of Earth
lithospheric plate.
Active Faults have the
ability to generate
Inactive faults
earthquakes while
inactive faults can no
longer produce
earthquakes.
 Types of Earthquakes
• There are many different types of earthquakes: tectonic, volcanic and
explosion.
• The type of earthquake depends on the region where it occurs and the
geological make- up of that region.
• The most common are tectonic earthquakes. These occur when rocks in
the earth’s crust break due to geological forces created by movement of
tectonic plates.
• Another type is volcanic earthquakes, it occur in conjunction with
volcanic activity.
• Collapse earthquakes are small earthquakes in underground cavems and
mines.
• Explosion earthquake result from the explosion of nuclear and chemical
devices.
 Type of Earthquakes
Tectonic Earthquake
These occur when rocks
in the earth’s crust break
due to geological forces
created by movement of
tectonic plates.
 Type of Earthquakes
Volcanic earthquakes
it occur in conjunction
with volcanic activity.
 Type of Earthquakes
Collapse earthquakes
are small earthquakes in
underground cavems
and mines.
 Type of Earthquakes
Explosion earthquake
result from the explosion of
nuclear and chemical devices.