Unit II: FAULTS and EARTHQUAKES

Ring of Fire -the region around the Pacific Ocean that are commonly hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Fault - is a break in the Earth’s crust along which significant movement has taken place.
 Break - refers to a crack in the ground.
 Crust - refers to the outermost layer of the Earth. We live on the surface of the crust.
 Significant movement - the rocks have been displaced or shifted considerably.
Classification of fault according to their level of activity
1. Active fault – known to have generated earthquakes within the last 10, 000 years.
2. Inactive fault – do not show evidence that it has generated earthquakes within the last 10, 000 years, but still
have the potential to generate an earthquake in the future.
How do faults produce quakes?
Energy from inside the Earth exerts a force on the rocks along faults. But the rocks do not move right away
because of friction. The roughness of the rocks keeps them from slipping past each other. But when the limit is
reached, the rocks suddenly slip—earthquake!
Stick and slip – a process describe by the scientist where once friction is overcome, the ground suddenly moves
and an earthquake occurs.
Earthquake - A vibration of the Earth due to the rapid release of energy.
Two Types of Earthquake
1. Tectonic earthquake - caused by tectonic plates' movement relative to each other.
2. Volcanic earthquake - caused by volcanic activities, or magma's activities
Focus - the origin of the earthquake.Epicenter - the spot directly above the focus on the surface of the Earth.
Fault line – the trace of the fault on the surface of the Earth.
Fault plane – this is where fault slip or fault movement happens.
Seismic waves – the energy passes through rocks
Seismic energy – a type of kinetic energy as the stored elastic energy is released when the rocks break along a fault
An earthquake may be described in two ways:
1. intensity – tells how much a certain area was shaken when the earthquake reached that area
2. magnitude – the total amount of energy that was released by the earthquake at the focus.
Foreshocks – the energy release and ground shaking before an earthquake
Aftershocks – the energy release and ground shaking after an earthquake
Effects of Aftershocks
1. volcanic eruption
2. sinkhole - hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer.
3. Liquefaction - a process by which water-saturated sediment temporarily loses strength and acts as a fluid
caused by earthquake shaking.
Seismograph (seismometer) – a device that measures and records the movement of the earth during an earthquake
Seismogram – data recorded by the seismograph
Richter scale – a numerical scale for expressing the magnitude of an earthquake on the basis of seismograph oscillations.
Mercalli scale – a scale of earthquake intensity ranging from I for an earthquake detected only by seismographs to XII
for one causing total destruction of all buildings.
Seismology – study of earthquakes.
Seismologist – a person who studied seismology.
PHIVOLCS (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology) – a government agency under Department of Science
and Technology (DOST), monitors earth movement and maps fault lines
PEIS (PHIVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale) – uses ten levels to rate the strength of an earthquake based on its effects
on people, structures and objects.
Tsunami - a very high (30 – 50 m height of the wave and speed of 965 km/hr), large wave in the ocean that is usually
caused by an earthquake or volcanic eruption under the sea.
 Faults are found on land as well as at the bottom of the sea. Warning Signs of Tsunami
1. strong ground shaking from an
 When an underwater fault suddenly moves, a tsunami may be formed.
 But not all fault movements generate tsunamis. earthquake
 If the fault moves sideways, the water above it will not be disturbed. 2. unusual sea-level fluctuations
 The movement has to be in the vertical sense, a sudden upward or 3. abnormally huge wave
downward motion. 4. loud ocean roar

 
 
 

