Crust

Mantle

Outer core NATURAL

Inner core HAZARDS
 Plate boundaries
Plates

Eurasian Caribbean plate Nazca plate Antarctic plate

plate Indian plate
North American South American Australian Arabian
Pacific plate plate plate African plate plate plate
 Eurasian
North American plate
plate

Arabian
plate
Caribbean plate
Indian plate
Pacific plate

African plate
Nazca plate
South American Australian
plate plate

Antarctic plate
Lots of
friction!
Stress
 Epicentre

Focus
Earthquake

Surface
Waves
Earthquake

P Waves
Earthquake

S Waves
Old fashioned
seismograph

Modern
seismograph
 Surface waves
arrive last
P waves S waves
arrive first arrive next

P - S wave
time interval
 P S
P S

1
2

P S
3
 Computer controlled
Cross bracing – allows weights on roof
building to twist
Open areas for
Fire resistant building evacuation
materials
Automatic Foundations
shutters sunk into solid
rock
Road – quick access
for emergency Rubber shock
services absorbers
In teams build an earthquake resistant structure that is
at least 30cm tall and has a minimum of three floors.
Each floor must support one weight.
Tips to make your structure
more earthquake proof: Masking tape
• Wide base
• Solid foundation
• Symmetrical design Lollipop sticks
Card
• Think about additional
supports
• Think about where you
might put additional weight
 Tsunami
Earthquake at reaches coast
sea
 Beware this
can be messy!
Sand
Water

Plastic box Plastic board

Cardboard
or Lego
 Village
Tsunami

Island
Ocean
Location Tohoku, Japan
Date 11 March 2011, 14:46
Magnitude 9
Fatalities 15,894
Epicentre
Injuries 6,156
Cost $235 billion

Fukushima
Nuclear
Power Station
Tokyo
Damage to a primary school gymnasium in
Nakano, Japan

Fukishima nuclear power station

Flooding in Sendai Airport from the tsunami
© www.fukishimawatch.com
 Location Gorkha, Nepal
Date 25 April 2015, 11:56
Magnitude 7.8
Fatalities 8,964
Injuries 21,592
Cost $2.5 - 10 billion
Chi
na
Epicentre
Mount Everest

Ind
ia
Kathmandu
Collapsed buildings in Chautara, Nepal

Earthquake destruction in Bhaktapur, Nepal

 What is an earthquake?
Shaking and vibration of the Earth's surface
due to movement of the Earth's plates.
Eruption of molten rock from below the
Earth’s surface

A huge wave that travels across the ocean

What is released during an earthquake?

Gas
Lava
Seismic waves
Water
 Where do most earthquakes occur?

In the middle of plates

At plate boundaries
In the UK
The point where an earthquake happens is
called the …
Epicentre
Focus
Inner core

Aftershock
What does a seismograph measure?
Damage caused by
an earthquake
The height of a
tsunami
The vibrations from
an earthquake
Which type of earthquake wave arrives first?

S wave P wave Surface wave

Which type of earthquake wave arrives last?

S wave P wave Surface wave

 When might a tsunami occur?
When an earthquake
happens under the sea

When an earthquake occurs

in the middle of a continent

When the moon is

closest to the Earth
Which of these methods does not help protect
coastal regions and people from tsunamis?
Planting more trees along the coast

Constructing buildings on stilts

Ignoring tsunami warnings

Educating the public about tsunamis

Why did the Fukishima nuclear power station
shut down in 2011?
The shaking from the
earthquake caused the
power station to collapse
The tsunami flooded the
power station and shut
off the power
 Magnitutude Vs Intensity

Magnitude and Intensity measure different characteristics of

earthquakes. Magnitude measures the energy released at the
source of the earthquake. Magnitude is determined from
measurements on seismographs. Intensity measures the strength
of shaking produced by the earthquake at a certain location.
Intensity is determined from effects on people, human
structures, and the natural environment.
ABBREVIATED MODIFIED MERCALLI INTENSITY SCALE
I. Not felt except by a very few under especially favorable conditions.
II. Felt only by a few persons at rest, especially on upper floors of buildings.
III. Felt quite noticeably by persons indoors, especially on upper floors of buildings. Many people do not recognize it as
an earthquake. Standing motor cars may rock slightly. Vibrations similar to the passing of a truck. Duration estimated.
IV. Felt indoors by many, outdoors by few during the day. At night, some awakened. Dishes, windows, doors disturbed;
walls make cracking sound. Sensation like heavy truck striking building. Standing motor cars rocked noticeably.
V. Felt by nearly everyone; many awakened. Some dishes, windows broken. Unstable objects overturned. Pendulum
clocks may stop.
VI. Felt by all, many frightened. Some heavy furniture moved; a few instances of fallen plaster. Damage slight.
VII. Damage negligible in buildings of good design and construction; slight to moderate in well-built ordinary
structures; considerable damage in poorly built or badly designed structures; some chimneys broken.
VIII. Damage slight in specially designed structures; considerable damage in ordinary substantial buildings with partial
collapse. Damage great in poorly built structures. Fall of chimneys, factory stacks, columns, monuments, walls. Heavy
furniture overturned.
IX. Damage considerable in specially designed structures; well-designed frame structures thrown out of plumb.
Damage great in substantial buildings, with partial collapse. Buildings shifted off foundations.
X. Some well-built wooden structures destroyed; most masonry and frame structures destroyed with foundations.
Rails bent.
XI. Few, if any (masonry) structures remain standing. Bridges destroyed. Rails bent greatly.
 EARTHQUAKE CLASSIFICATION

MAGNITUDE CLASSIFICATION
M ≥ 8.0 Great Earthquake
7.0 ≥ M < 8.0 Major / Large Earthquake
5.0 ≥ M < 7.0 Moderate Earthquake
3.0 ≥ M < 5.0 Small Earthquake
1.0 ≥ M < 3.0 Microearthquake
M < 1.0 Ultra Microearthquake

Hagiwara, 1964
NATURE OF EARTHQUAKES

1) Foreshocks

2) Main shock

3) Aftershocks

4) Earthquake Swarm

5) Normal Seismic activity

 TYPES OF EARTHQUAKES

1) Tectonic Earthquake
2) Volcanic Earthquake
3) Collapse Earthquake
4) Explosion Earthquake

CLASSIFICATION DISTANCE
1) Teleseismic Earthquake > 1000 km
2) Regional Earthquake > 500 km
3) Local Earthquake < 500 km
Low-Medium-High Rise Building During Earthquake
How Earthquake-Proof Buildings Are Designed
 How Earthquakes Impact Buildings

• Before we look at the features of earthquake-proof buildings,

it’s important to understand how earthquakes impact human-
made structures. When an earthquake occurs, it sends shock
waves throughout the ground in short, rapid intervals that
extend in all directions. While buildings are generally equipped
to handle vertical forces from their weight and gravity, they
cannot traditionally handle side-to-side forces emitted by
quakes.
 4 Methods for Constructing Earthquake-Proof Buildings

1. Create a Flexible Foundation

2. Counter Forces with Damping
3. Shield Buildings from Vibrations
4. Reinforce the Building’s Structure