Understanding Earthquakes: Causes, Types, and Preparedness, Study notes of Technology

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I. What are Earthquakes?

A. There is more to earthquakes

than just the shaking of the

ground. An entire branch of Earth

science, called seismology, is

devoted to the study of

earthquakes.

B. Earthquakes are complex, and

they present many questions for

seismologists, the scientists who

study earthquakes.

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II. Where do Earthquakes Occur?

A. Most earthquakes take place near the edges of tectonic plates.

B. Tectonic plates move in different directions and at different speeds. As a result, numerous features called faults exist in the Earth’s crust.

C. A fault is a break in the Earth’s crust along which blocks of the crust slide relative to one another.

D. Earthquakes occur along faults because of this sliding.

III. What Causes Earthquakes?

A. As tectonic plates move, stress increases along faults near the plates’ edges. In response to this stress, rock in the plates deforms.

B. Deformation is the change in the shape of rock in response to the stress of bending, tilting, and breaking of the Earth’s crust.

C. Rock deforms in a plastic manner, like a piece of molded clay, or in an elastic manner, like a rubber band.

D. Plastic deformation does not lead to earthquakes. Elastic deformation does. Like a rubber band, rock can be stretched only so far before it breaks.

III. What Causes Earthquakes?

E. Elastic rebound is the

sudden return of elastically

deformed rock to its

undeformed shape. Elastic

rebound occurs when more

stress is applied to rock than

the rock can withstand.

F. During elastic rebound,

energy is released. Some of

this energy travels as seismic

waves, which cause an

earthquake.

IV. Faults at Plate Boundaries

A. A specific type of plate motion takes place at

different tectonic plate boundaries.

B. Each type of motion creates a particular kind

of fault that can produce earthquakes.

IV. Faults at Plate Boundaries

C. Transform motion occurs where two plates

slip past each other, creating strike-slip faults.

Blocks of crust slide horizontally past each other.

IV. Faults at Plate Boundaries

D. Convergent motion occurs where two plates

push together, creating reverse faults. Blocks of

crust that are pushed together slide along

reverse faults.

IV. Faults at Plate Boundaries

E. Divergent motion occurs where two plates pull away from each other, creating normal faults. Blocks of crust that are pulled away from each other slide along normal faults.

IV. Faults at Plate Boundaries

F. Earthquake Zones Most earthquakes happen in the earthquake zones along tectonic plate boundaries. Earthquake zones are places where a large number of faults are located.

G. Not all faults are located at tectonic plate boundaries. Sometimes, earthquakes happen along faults in the middle of tectonic plates.

V. How Do Earthquake Waves Travel?

A. Waves of energy that travel through the

Earth away from an earthquake are called

seismic waves.

B. Seismic waves that travel along the Earth’s

surface are called surface waves.

V. How Do Earthquake Waves Travel?

C. Seismic waves that travel through Earth’s interior are called body waves. There are two types of body waves: P waves and S waves.

D. P waves are seismic waves that cause particles of rock to move in a back-and-forth direction.

E. S waves are seismic waves that cause particles of rock to move in a side-to-side direction.

VI. Locating Earthquakes

A. Scientists use seismographs

to study earthquakes.

B. A seismograph is an

instrument that records vibrations in the ground and determines the location and strength of an earthquake.

C. When earthquake waves

reach a seismograph, it creates a seismogram, a tracing of the earthquake’s motion.

VI. Locating Earthquakes

D. Determining Time and Location of Earthquakes Seismograms are used to find an earthquake’s epicenter.

E. An epicenter is the point on the Earth’s surface directly above an earthquake’s starting point.

F. A focus is the point inside the Earth where an earthquake begins.

G. An earthquake’s epicenter is on the Earth’s surface directly above the earthquake’s focus.

VII. Measuring Earthquake Strength

and Intensity

A. The Richter Magnitude Scale

Throughout much of the 20th century, seismologists used a scale created by Charles Richter to measure the strength of earthquakes.

B. Earthquake Ground Motion A

measure of the strength of an earthquake is called magnitude. The Richter scale measures the ground motion from an earthquake and adjusts for distance to find its strength.

VII. Measuring Earthquake Strength

and Intensity

C. Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale A measure of the degree to which an earthquake is felt by people and the damage it caused is called intensity.

D. Currently, seismologists use the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale to measure earthquake intensity. This is a numerical scale that uses Roman numerals from I to XII to describe earthquake intensity levels.

VII. Measuring Earthquake Strength

and Intensity

E. In the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, an intensity of I describes an earthquake that is not felt by most people. An intensity level of XII indicates total damage of an area.

F. Because the effects of an earthquake vary based on location, any earthquake will have more than one intensity value. Intensity values usually are higher near the epicenter.

VIII. Earthquake Hazard

A. Earthquake hazard is a measurement of how likely an area is to have damaging earthquakes in the future. B. An area’s earthquake-hazard level is determined by past and present seismic activity. C. The greater the seismic activity, the higher the earthquake- hazard level.

IX. Earthquake Forecasting

A. Forecasting when and where earthquakes will occur and their strength is difficult.

B. By studying areas of seismic activity, seismologists have discovered some patterns in earthquakes that allow them to make some general predictions.

C. Strength and Frequency Earthquakes vary in strength. The strength of earthquakes is related to how often they occur.

IX. Earthquake Forecasting

D. Another method of forecasting an earthquake’s strength, location, and frequency is the gap hypothesis.

E. The gap hypothesis is based on the idea that a major earthquake is more likely to occur along the part of an active fault where no earthquakes have occurred for a certain period of time.

F. An area along a fault where relatively few earth- quakes have occurred recently but where strong earthquakes have occurred in the past is called a seismic gap.

IX. Earthquake Forecasting

G. Using the Gap Hypothesis Not all seismologists

believe the gap hypothesis is an accurate method of forecasting earthquakes.

H. But some seismologists think the gap hypothesis

helped forecast the approximate location and strength of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in California.

X. Earthquakes and Buildings

A. Earthquakes can easily topple buildings and destroy homes. Today, older structures in seismically active places, such as California, are being made more earthquake resistant. B. Retrofitting is the name given to the process of making older structure more earthquake resistant. C. A common way of retrofitting an older home is to securely fasten it to its foundation. D. Steel is often used to strengthen buildings and homes made of brick.

X. Earthquakes

and Buildings

E. Earthquake-Resistant Buildings A lot has been learned from building failure during earthquakes.

F. With this knowledge, architects and engineers use new technology to design and construct buildings and bridges to better withstand earthquakes.

XI. Are You Prepared for an Earthquake?

A. Before the Shaking Starts The first thing should do safeguard your home against earthquakes.

B. Place heavier objects on lower shelves so they do not fall during an earthquake.

C. Find safe places within each room of your home and outside of your home.

D. Make a plan with others to meet in a safe place after the earthquake is over.

XI. Are You Prepared for an

Earthquake?

E. When the Shaking Starts If you are indoors, crouch or lie face down under a table or desk.

F. If you are outside, cover your head with your hands and lie face down away from buildings, power lines, or trees.

G. If you are in a car on an open road, you should stop the car and remain inside.

XI. Are You Prepared for an Earthquake?

H. After the Shaking Stops Try to calm down and get your bearings. I. Remove yourself from immediate danger, such as downed power lines, broken glass, and fire hazards. J. Do not enter any damaged buildings unless you are told it is safe by someone in authority. K. Beware that aftershocks may cause more damage.