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Geology of Australia and New Zealand, HWS/UC 2007

9. NZ Seismicity and Seismic Hazards. Geology of Australia and New Zealand, HWS/UC 2007. What is an earthquake? ELASTIC REBOUND THEORY Ground vibrations, “seismic waves,” produced by the sudden release of stored strain energy as crust breaks or slips along faults.

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Geology of Australia and New Zealand, HWS/UC 2007

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  1. 9. NZ Seismicity and Seismic Hazards Geology of Australia and New Zealand, HWS/UC 2007

  2. What is an earthquake? ELASTIC REBOUND THEORY Ground vibrations, “seismic waves,” produced by the sudden release of stored strain energy as crust breaks or slips along faults.

  3. Seismologists detect and study earthquakes with seismographs—instruments that produce seismograms, records of earth vibrations

  4. Seismogram—Record of seismic waves Three wave types—p (pressure), s (shear), surface Each “arrives” at a different time, dependent on distance

  5. The p and s waves start together… but p travels faster than s, so the farther they go, the greater the p-s time lag. Distant seismographs record greater lags than near ones—allowing calculation of distance to the rupture.

  6. C B A Determining Focus—triangulation from three (or more)seismographs

  7. Epicenter (surface) vs. Focus

  8. Major Plate Boundaries (i.e. FAULTS)

  9. Richter Scale Magnitude: A logarithmic scale based that is based on the energy released.

  10. Magnitude vs. Intensity • Quakes have a single magnitude, corresponding to the energy released. The greater the length of break on a fault, the greater the energy released. • Intensity varies from the epicenter outward, though not necessarily in a simple way!

  11. II: Felt by a few people

  12. NZ experiences about 10,000-15,000 quakes a year, • 100-150 are big enough to be felt. http://www.geonet.org.nz/recent_quakes.html

  13. Focus > 40 km Modified from Anderson and Webb, 1994, NZ Seismicity

  14. Surface Rupture Part of the 1987 magnitude 6.6 Edgecumbe earthquake surface rupture passing through a road producing significant off-set either side of the rupture zone. (Photo by L. Homer). Source: /www.earthscape.org

  15. Rail Lines 1987 magnitude 6.6 Edgecumbe earthquake, twisted railway lines along a section of Bay of Plenty line, near Edgecumbe. (Photo by L. Homer). Source: /www.earthscape.org

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