Earthquakes

Earthquakes
An Earthquake refers to the shaking of the Earth
as a result of the breaking or shifting
of the rocks of the tectonic plates,
which release seismic energy.

Why should we be
Alarmed of earthquakes?
Most earthquake-related deaths are caused by the collapse of structures and the
construction
practices play a tremendous role in the death toll of an earthquake. In southern Italy in
1909
more than 100,000 people perished in an earthquake that struck the region. Almost half
of
the people living in the region of Messina were killed due to the easily collapsible
structures
that dominated the villages of the region. A larger earthquake that struck San Francisco
three
years earlier had killed fewer people (about 700) because building construction
practices
were
different type (predominantly wood). Survival rates in the San Francisco earthquake
was
about
98%,
that in the Messina earthquake was between 33% and 45%) (Zebrowski, 1997). Building
practices
can make all the difference in earthquakes, even a moderate rupture beneath a city

Faults

Fault
Faults are cracks on the Earths
crust, of which there are three
typesNormal Fault
-- Reverse Fault
-- Strike-slip Fault

Dip slip
Dip slip refers to the movement of
faults along the angle of the fault
plane.
The angle of movement is called the
dip while the movement is the slip.
Dip slip are classified as Normal fault
or Reverse fault.

Normal fault
A normal fault is a dip slip fault
where a block that sits on a fault
plane, called the hanging wall, slips
downward with respect to the
footwall along the dip angle.

Reverse Fault
Reverse fault is another type of dip
slip fault where the block of the
Earths crust pushes upward and
along the dip angle.

Thrust Fault
Thrust Fault is a type of reverse fault
where the angle of the dip is 45
degree or less.

Strike-Slip fault
In a strike slip fault, nearly vertical
fault planes or surfaces slide in
parallel but opposite directions.
The San Andreas Fault in California,
USA is an example.

blique strike-slip Fault

Oblique strike-slip is a combination of
a strike slip and a dip slip.

Focus and Epicenter

Focus
Focus is the point within the earth where
the tectonic plate rocks starts to break
and where seismic energy is first
released .
It is found within the fault plane.
It is also called Hypocenter

Epicenter
The epicenter is the point on the
crust of the Earth, directly above the
focus.
The focus is found at different depths
and is classified as
Shallow- 10-100 Km deep
Intermediate- 70-300 km deep
Deep- 300 km deeper

Focus and Epicenter

an Earthquake, is it true
ami will automatically oc
Underwater Earthquakes associated
with oceanic-continental subduction
cause a vertical movement of the
sea floor .Those greater than 7 in
magnitude and whose focus is less
than 30 Km produce a significant
movement that generates large
ocean waves called
.

Tsunami

Seismic Waves

Seismic Waves
Seismic waves are significant
in studying Earthquakes.
P-Waves
They are of two
types:
and
S- Waves

P- Waves
P-Waves or Primary waves
travel faster through the
ground.

S-Waves

S-Waves or secondary waves produce up

and down waves
and side to side motion that cause
buildings to heave and sway.

eismographic Station
Site of observation

P and S Waves
travel time Char

Mountains
and
Mountain
Ranges

Mountains
Mountains are large landforms that
rise well above the ground and have
a steep slopes and a peak generally
higher than a hill.

Orogenesis

ogenesis refers to the process of forming mountains

ountain ranges. It involves the collision of plates an
rces of compression.

Folded Mountains
Folded mountains are formed
through plate convergence.
Example of this is the Himalayas.

Volcanic Mountain Ranges

These mountain ranges usually have
isolated peaks that formed for over
thousands or millions of years.These
structures are constructed from
accumulated lava flows, pyroclastics,
and other igneous rocks that piled up
over time.

Erosion Formed
Mountain Ranges
This type of mountain ranges do not
form because of the Earths internal
activity but because of rock erosion
or weathering.

Dome Mountain Ranges

Domes result from the upwarping of
tectonic plates and are not
accompanied by the collision of plate
boundaries.

Fault Block Mountain Ranges

The movement of normal fault causes tensional forces and
can uplift large block of crusts to form fault-block
mountains.
The displacement of the crust sometimes produces
numerous cracks and consequently creates parallel
mountain ranges.As the crust forms cracks, the block that
slides down because of the gravity is called graben, which
usually becomes a valley.
The horst refers to crustal blocks that do not slide down.
Examples of fault block mountains are the Sierra Nevada in
California,The Teton Range of Wyoming, and the
Marinduque Mountains in the Philippines.

The National Earthquake Information

Center (NEIC) records an average of
20,000
earthquakes every year (about 50 a
day) around
the world. There are, however,
millions of
earthquakes estimated to occur every
year

ch year the southern California area has abou

,000 earthquakes the majority of which go
noticed. However,if there is a large earthquak
e aftershock sequence willproduce many mor
rthquakes of all magnitudes for months.

An undersea earthquake in the Indian

Ocean triggered a series of devastating
tsunamis
on Dec. 26, 2004. The tsunamis struck the
coasts
of most landmasses bordering the Indian
Ocean,
bringing 100-foot waves and killing over
225,000 people
in 11 countries.

 !

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