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Earthquakes
What are earthquakes?
Imagine bending a stick until it breaks. When the stick
snaps, it vibrates, releasing energy. Earthquakes release
energy in a similar way. Earthquakes are the vibrations in the
ground that result from movement along breaks in Earths lithosphere.
These breaks are called faults.
Why do rocks move along a fault? The forces that move
tectonic plates also push and pull rocks along a fault. If these
forces become large enough, the blocks of rock on either side
of the fault can move past each other. The rocks might move
verticallyup or downor horizontallysideways.
Rock Deformation
Force, or pressure, applied along plate boundaries can
cause a body of rock to bend and change shape. This is
called rock deformation. Over time, the rocks can break
and move.
Faults
Types of Faults
Fault Name
Location
Movement
Strike-slip
transform plate
boundaries
Normal
divergent plate
boundaries
Reverse
convergent plate
boundaries
Seismic Waves
During an earthquake, there is a rapid release of energy
along a fault. This release of energy produces seismic waves.
The waves travel outward in all directions through rock,
much like ripples in water. As the waves travel, they transfer
energy through the ground and produce the motion
associated with an earthquake. The energy released is
strongest near the epicenter. As seismic waves move away
from the epicenter, their energy and intensity decrease. The
greater the distance from an earthquakes epicenter, the less
the ground moves.
Description
Primary waves
(P-waves)
Secondary waves
(S-waves)
Surface waves
Station 1
Epicenter
Station 3
Station 2
II
III
IV
VI
VII
VIII
IX
XI
XII
Damage is total.
Earthquake Risk
In the United States, the highest risk of earthquakes
occurs near tectonic plate boundaries of the western states.
The transform plate boundary in California and the
convergent plate boundaries in Oregon, Washington, and
Alaska have the highest earthquake risks. However, not all
earthquakes occur near plate boundaries. Some of the largest
earthquakes in the United States have occurred far from
plate boundaries.
High-energy, destructive earthquakes are not very
common. Only about ten earthquakes with a magnitude
greater than 7.0 occur worldwide each year. Earthquakes
with magnitudes greater than 9.0, such as the Indian Ocean
earthquake in 2004, are rare.
Seismologists evaluate risk in several ways because
earthquakes threaten peoples lives and property. They
study the probability that an earthquake will occur in an
area. Seismologists study past earthquake activity, the
geology around a fault, the population density, and the
building design in an area.