6+Earthquake+Draft

=EARTHQUAKES=

//A Report//
I. Introduction to Earthquakes II. Earthquakes: A Deeper Look III. Introduction to Faults IV. Issues Regarding Earthquakes
 * Definition
 * a sudden and violent shaking of the ground as a result of movements within the earth's crust or volcanic action
 * a sudden release of energy from the earth's crust
 * Parts of an Earthquake
 * General Terminologies
 * Focus (Hypocenter)[[image:http://earthquakesandplates.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/eqfocus.gif width="322" height="212"]]
 * Where the earthquake starts
 * Energy stored in the crust is first released here
 * Fault
 * Most earthquakes happen along faults
 * A large crack in the earth's crust where one part moves against another part
 * Epicenter
 * The point on the earth's surface directly above the focus or the source of the earthquake
 * Waves
 * The energy released from the fault travel in waves
 * They travel outward in all directions (from the Focus)
 * They lose energy as the distance increases
 * Surface Waves
 * Waves that travel near the earth's surface
 * Body Waves
 * Waves that travel through the interior of the earth
 * Two Types:
 * Primary Waves (P Waves) (Compressional Waves)
 * Faster traveling waves
 * Compress the rock they travel through
 * Can travel through liquids, though slowly
 * Can travel through the earth's mantel and molten core
 * Secondary Waves (S Waves) (Shear Wave)
 * Slower traveling waves
 * Break or distort the rocks they travel through
 * Cannot travel through liquid
 * Shocks
 * Foreshock and Aftershock
 * The shocks that occur before and after the earthquakes respectively
 * Mainshock
 * Part of the earthquake with the largest magnitude
 * Magnitude
 * The earthquake's size
 * Amount of energy released by an earthquake
 * Intensity
 * Measure of the effects of an earthquake at a locality
 * Measurement [Additional Terminologies]
 * Scales
 * Richter Scale (Richter Magnitude Scale) (Local Magnitude **(ML** ) Scale) (Logarithmic Scale)
 * [[image:http://www.geo.mtu.edu/UPSeis/images/Richter.gif]]
 * Usually used to measure the magnitude of an earthquake; how much damage an earthquake does
 * Invented by Charles Richter in 1935
 * Uses the amplitude of the strongest seismic wave (no matter what type) in calculating
 * Works at a scale of 1 to 10, each increasing in magnitude by ten times; approximately 31 √1000 times the energy
 * Fun fact: Maximum reading of the Richter Scale was at 9.5 during the Great Chilean Earthquake
 * Quakes based on the Richter Scale
 * 2 below: Microquakes
 * 6 below: Moderate Quakes
 * 6: Significant Damage
 * Poor housing may collapse
 * Mercalli Intensity Scale
 * [[image:http://www.geo.mtu.edu/UPSeis/images/Giuseppe.gif]]
 * Usually used to measure intensity, how strong an earthquake affects a place
 * Has 12 divisions in Roman Numerals I to XII, each increasing in intensity
 * Seismology
 * The study of earthquakes and seismic waves that move through the earth
 * Seismic Waves
 * Seismic - from the Greek word //seismos//, from //seiein//, meaning 'to shake'
 * Waves of energy caused by the sudden breaking of rock within the earth or an explosion
 * Body Waves and Surface Waves
 * Seismometer
 * Instruments that record and measure motions of the ground
 * Causes
 * Volcanic Activity
 * Plate Tectonics
 * Effects
 * Earthquakes release great amounts of energy that do a lot of damage
 * Tsunamis
 * Underground earthquakes can cause chunks of rock to push huge amounts of water in a direction
 * They can also be caused by the primary waves from a distant or near earthquake that would cause water to move with the waves and form a wall of water.
 * Fires
 * Shaking and force break pipelines of gas that when ignited, can cause big fires.
 * Infrastructure damage
 * Liquefaction
 * Occurs when a soft and wet piece of land is affected by an earthquake
 * Turns this ground into liquid and anything on top of this land will sink.
 * Predicting Earthquakes
 * There is no certain way to predict an earthquake
 * It is possible to see if a seismic wave will be reaching your area with instruments such as seismographs, etc...
 * Some agencies can study faults and patterns of earthquakes over many years and can do a pretty good job of saying where on the landscape earthquakes most likely will occur and on which faults
 * Precautionary Measures
 * Before:
 * Stock up on supplies
 * Store heavy objects in lower areas of the house
 * Avoid placing heavy objects such as mirrors and picture frames above places where people sleep
 * Keep away heating materials from things which are flammable
 * During
 * If you are indoors, stay there. Quickly move to a safe location in the room such as under a strong desk, a strong table, or along an interior wall. The goal is to protect yourself from falling objects and be located near the structural strong points of the room. Avoid taking cover near windows, large mirrors, hanging objects, heavy furniture, heavy appliances or fireplaces.
 * Turn off all flammable material
 * If you are outdoors, move to an open area where falling objects are unlikely to strike you. Move away from buildings, powerlines and trees.
 * If you are driving, slow down smoothly and stop on the side of the road. Avoid stopping on or under bridges and overpasses, or under power lines, trees and large signs. Stay in your car.
 * After
 * Check for injuries
 * Check for damage
 * Check for gas leaks
 * Unplug appliances if the power is out
 * Definition
 * Breaks in the earth's crust where part of the crust are either pushed together or pulled apart
 * Cracks on the ground
 * Types of Faults
 * [[image:http://www.hp1039.jishin.go.jp/eqchreng/figures/af1-2.jpg width="495" height="438"]]
 * Normal Fault
 * By tension force
 * Rocks move away from each other
 * Rocks above the fault move downward and rocks below the fault move upward
 * Occur in divergent plate boundary
 * Reverse Fault
 * By compressional force
 * Rocks move toward each other
 * Rocks above fault move upward and rocks below fault move downward
 * Occur in convergent plate boundaries
 * Shear-Stress Fault (Strike-Slip Fault)
 * By shearing force
 * Rocks move sideways
 * Present in transform boundaries
 * Additional Terminologies
 * Fault Scarp
 * A small ledge or cliff due to a movement in the fault
 * Fault Creep
 * Slow almost constant movement along a fault
 * For Preventing Earthquakes
 * If the mass population panics, could the panic itself cause deaths even without a quake? Would it cause major economic problems (e.g. loss of business, congestion of freeways, overloading of telephone lines, etc.)?
 * Which situation would be worse: (1) You send a warning but the quake does not occur; or (2) you do NOT send a warning and the quake does occur?
 * For Predicting Earthquakes
 * Would a great number of small earthquakes be better or worse than a single large earthquake?
 * Other Methods of Prediction: Possible?
 * Unusual animal behavior
 * Radon gas
 * Planet locations
 * Electromagnetic or sound waves emitted from the ground

Check-Up Quiz: (Figures to be posted after report)

1. Describe the three types of faults. (1.5 points) 2. In the chart, differentiate the Mercalli Scale and the Richter Scale; as well as magnitude and intensity. (1.5 points) 3. Given the figure, label the parts of an earthquake. (1 point) 4. Draw the process in which an earthquake is caused due to volcanic explosions. (1 points)
 * Draw their movement
 * Short descriptions of each fault
 * Which area would feel the greatest waves? Mark this area.
 * Which area would be the first to be hit by primary waves?

Essay: Based on our knowledge on earthquakes: (5 points)
 * If you are indoors/outdoors when an earthquake occurs, would you prefer to stay where you are or move to a location opposite?
 * Which would be a better case: you send warnings of an earthquake but it doesn't occur, or you don't send any warnings but an earthquake occurred?
 * What would be the best measure to take when you receive a prediction of having a 3% chance of a magnitude 6 earthquake in your area?

Bonus: Based on the seismogram, can you tell the following? (1 point each)
 * Where did the quake occur? (or most likely closest to where it occurred?)
 * Which area received the least tremors?