What is an earthquake?

Earthquakes are the shaking, rolling or sudden shock of the earths surface. They
are the Earth's natural means of releasing stress. More than a million earthquakes
rattle the world each year. The West Coast is most at risk of having an
earthquake, ut earthquakes can ha!!en in the Midwest and along the East Coast.
Earthquakes can e felt over large areas although they usually last less than one
minute. Earthquakes cannot e !redicted " although scientists are working on it#
Click Here to learn more aout earthquakes from $%&%.
'ecause !eo!le are frequently left relying on themselves for awhile after an
earthquake, it is a good idea to have an earthquake survival kit ready. Everyone who
lives in an area where large earthquakes can ha!!en should have one of these kits
in their home.
What causes an earthquake?
There are aout () !lates along the surface of the earth that move continuously
and slowly !ast each other. When the !lates squee*e or stretch, huge rocks form
at their edges and the rocks shift with great force, causing an earthquake. Think
of it this way+ ,magine holding a !encil hori*ontally. ,f you were to a!!ly a force to
oth ends of the !encil y !ushing down on them, you would see the !encil end.
-fter enough force was a!!lied, the !encil would reak in the middle, releasing the
stress you have !ut on it. The Earth's crust acts in the same way. -s the !lates
move they !ut forces on themselves and each other. When the force is large
enough, the crust is forced to reak. When the reak occurs, the stress is
released as energy which moves through the Earth in the form of waves, which we
feel and call an earthquake. .&ra!hic Credit+ Wheeling /esuit $niversity01-%-
Classroom of the 2uture3
Click Here to see an animation of an earthquake. ,t's great for kids, ecause
they get to see how it actually ha!!ens#
What is a fault?
- fault is an area of stress in the earth where roken rocks slide !ast each other,
causing a crack in the Earth's surface. There are the ma4or ty!es of faults+ di!"
sli! normal, di!"sli! reverse, strike"sli!, and olique"sli!.
What are plate tectonics?
The theory of !late tectonics is a interesting story of continents drifting from
!lace to !lace reaking a!art, colliding, and grinding against each other. The !late
tectonic theory is su!!orted y a wide range of evidence that considers the
earth's crust and u!!er mantle to e com!osed of several large, thin, relatively
rigid !lates that move relative to one another. .%ee !late tectonic gra!hic aove.3
The !lates are all moving in different directions and at different s!eeds.
%ometimes the !lates crash together, !ull a!art or sideswi!e each other. When
this ha!!ens, it commonly results in earthquakes.
Continental 5rift+ To see this animation again, just refresh this page! This
animation shows you what our !lanet looked like millions of years ago and what it
looks like now# .&ra!hic Credit+ &eology 5e!artment at $niversity of California,
'erkeley3
Click Here to learn more aout !late tectonics and the drifting of our continents.
What is a seismograph?
- seismogra!h is an instrument used for recording the intensity and duration of an
earthquake.
Click Here to calculate the strength of earthquakes#
What is a tsunami?
- tsunami is a large ocean wave usually caused y an underwater earthquake or a
volcanic e6!losion. Tsunamis are 17T tidal waves. Tidal waves are caused y the
forces of the moon, sun, and !lanets u!on the tides, as well as the wind as it moves
over the water. With ty!ical waves, water flows in circles, ut with a tsunami,
water flows straight. This is why tsunamis cause so much damage#
Click Here to see an animation of an earthquake and the resulting tsunami. ,t's
great for kids, ecause they get to see how it actually ha!!ens#
Click Here to get the latest tsunami warning information from the 1W%.
Click Here for tsunami safety information.
Know the Lingo
E!CE"TE# " The !oint on the earth's surface directly aove the source of the
earthquake.
$E!$%!C W&'E$ " The energy created y the quake travels in waves from the
e!icenter, where they are the strongest. The waves shake uildings, structures
and the earth vertically, causing them to move hori*ontally#
#!CHTE# $C&LE " - measurement of an earthquake's intensity. Each one"!oint
increase on the scale indicates ten times the amount of shaking and 88 times the
amount of energy. The energy released y a large earthquake may e equal to
9),))) times the energy of the first atomic om.
Click Here to see if there has een any recent earthquake activity across the
$.%.
#ichter $cale
: Minor Earthquake
; Moderate Earthquake
< %trong Earthquake
= Ma4or Earthquake
> &reat Earthquake
Click Here to learn aout cool earthquake facts#
Earthquake $afet( Tips
)E*+#E &" E&#TH,-&KE. ?ave a disaster !lan. Emergency !re!aredness can
save lives. Choose a safe !lace in every room. ,ts est to get under a sturdy !iece
of furniture like a tale or a desk where nothing can fall on you. @ractice 5A7@,
C7BEA -15 ?7C5 71# 5ro! under something sturdy, hold on, and !rotect your
eyes y !ressing your face against your arm. ,f you live in an earthquake !rone
area, olt tall furniture to the wall and install strong latches to cu!oards. @re!are
a first aid kit for your home. 'y taking s!ecial !recautions and checking for
ha*ards efore a disaster strikes, you will e much more likely to stay safe.
/-#!"0 &" E&#TH,-&KE. 5A7@, C7BEA -15 ?7C5 71# %tay indoors until
the shaking sto!s. %tay away from windows. ,f youre in ed, hold on and stay
there, !rotecting your head with a !illow. ,f youre outdoors, find a clear s!ot away
from uildings, trees and !ower lines. Then, dro! to the ground. ,f youre in a car,
slow down and drive to a safe !lace. %tay in the car until the shaking sto!s.
&*TE# THE $H&K!"0 $T+$. Check for in4uries. ,ns!ect your home for
damage. Eliminate fire ha*ards, so turn off the gas if you think its leaking. E6!ect
aftershocks. Each time you feel one, 5A7@, C7BEA -15 ?7C5 71.
Earthquake &cti1ities
Lesson lan. ?ere is a great lesson !lan on learning aout how thrust faults are
res!onsile for the u!lift of many mountain ranges across the world, including the
Cos -ngeles 'asin. This is a great lesson !lan for middle and high school students.
Lesson lan. ?ere is a great lesson !lan kee!ing track of earthquakes around the
world. ,n this activity, kids kee! a record of the location of earthquakes for a
week and learn aout !late tectonics.
Earthquake E2periment. ?ere is a great e6!eriment to show kids how
earthquakes actually ha!!en#
$cience *air !3eas. ?ere is a list of science fair !ro4ect ideas that deal with
earthquakes.
$cience *air roject !3eas. ?ere is a com!lete list of science fair !ro4ect
ideas. 5iscover the science ehind the weather that im!acts us every day.