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Earthquakes. Adapted from Steven Dutch, Natural and Applied Sciences , University of Wisconsin-Green Bay L. Smith 2014. What is an earthquake?. Used to describe both sudden slip on a fault, and the resulting ground shaking and radiated seismic energy caused by the slip
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Earthquakes Adapted from Steven Dutch, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay L. Smith 2014
What is an earthquake? • Used to describe both sudden slip on a fault, and the resulting ground shaking and radiated seismic energy caused by the slip • Caused by volcanic or magmatic activity, • Caused by other sudden stress changes in the earth.
Three Types of Faults Strike-Slip Thrust Normal
What causes earthquakes? • Tectonic plates move past each other causing stress. Stress causes the rock to deform • Plastic deformation – does not cause earthquakes • Elastic deformation – rock stretches then reaches a breaking point, releasing energy.
Elastic Rebound – deformed rock goes back to its original shape http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC-102VisualsIndex.HTM
Focus – point inside the Earth where an earthquake beginsEpicenter – point on Earth’s surface above focus
How Seismographs Work the pendulum remains fixed as the ground moves beneath it http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC-102VisualsIndex.HTM
Typical Seismogram http://isu.indstate.edu/jspeer/Earth&Sky/EarthCh11.ppt
Primary Waves (P Waves) • A type of seismic wave that compresses and expands the ground • The first wave to arrive at an earthquake http://daphne.meccahosting.com/~a0000e89/insideearth2.htm
Secondary Waves (S Waves) • A type of seismic wave that moves the ground up and down or side to side http://daphne.meccahosting.com/~a0000e89/insideearth2.htm
SurfaceWaves • Move along the Earth’s surface • Produces motion in the upper crust • Motion can be up and down • Motion can be around • Motion can be back and forth • Travel more slowly than S and P waves • More destructive
How do scientists calculate how far a location is from the epicenter of an earthquake? • Scientists calculate the difference between arrival times of the P waves and S waves • The further away an earthquake is, the greater the time between the arrival of the P waves and the S waves
Locating Earthquakes http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC-102VisualsIndex.HTM
Locating Earthquakes http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC-102VisualsIndex.HTM
Locating Earthquakes http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC-102VisualsIndex.HTM
Magnitude and Intensity Intensity • How Strong Earthquake Feels to Observer Magnitude • Related to Energy Release • Determined from Seismic Records • Rough correlation between the two for shallow earthquakes
Intensity How Strong Earthquake Feels to Observer Depends On: • Distance to Quake • Geology • Type of Building • Observer! Varies from Place to Place • Mercalli Scale- 1 to 12
How are Earthquakes Measured? Mercalli Intensity Scale Click Link for Interactive Demo http://elearning.niu.edu/simulations/images/S_portfolio/Mercalli/Mercalli_Scale.swf
Magnitude - Determined from Seismic Records Richter Scale: • Related to Energy Release • Exponential • No Upper or Lower Bounds • Largest Quakes about Mag. 8.7 • Magnitude-Energy Relation • 4 - 1 • 5 - 30 • 6 - 900: • 1 Megaton = about 7 • 7 - 27,000 • 8 - 810,000
Seismic - Moment Magnitude A Seismograph Measures Ground Motion at One Instant But -- • A Really Great Earthquake Lasts Minutes • Releases Energy over Hundreds of Kilometers • Need to Sum Energy of Entire Record • Modifies Richter Scale, doesn't replace it • Adds about 1 Mag. To 8+ Quakes
Seismic Waves in the Earth http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC-102VisualsIndex.HTM
Tsunamis http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC-102VisualsIndex.HTM
Formation of a tsunami http://isu.indstate.edu/jspeer/Earth&Sky/EarthCh11.ppt
Tsunami Warning System http://isu.indstate.edu/jspeer/Earth&Sky/EarthCh11.ppt