Name: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Introduction to Earthquakes

Earthquakes are the shaking

and moving of the ground when
energy is released in waves. These
waves are called seismic waves.
These waves are similar to ocean
waves, which move through water.
Seismic waves, however, move
through the ground. Where the
earthquake starts underground is
called the focus, while the epicenter
is the point on the earths surface
above the focus.
Most earthquakes are caused by the movement of large sections of the Earths crust,
called tectonic plates. The place where two plates meet is called a fault. Faults look like large
cracks in the ground. If the two plates move in different directions, they build up energy at the
fault line. When enough energy builds up, the stress on the fault becomes too great and it
ruptures. This releases the energy and the ground starts to shake. Earthquakes can also be
caused by other natural events, such as landslides and volcanoes. Man made earthquakes
happen because of nuclear testing and mining explosions.

What is an earthquake? __________________________________________

What are seismic waves? ________________________________

What is the difference between the focus and the epicenter? __________________________

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What are causes natural earthquakes? ___________________________________________

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What man made activities can cause earthquakes? _________________________________

 Earthquakes can only
be understood if we know
what is happening under the
Earths surface. Tectonic
plates are pushed in different
directions, causing
earthquakes, by convection
currents in the earths mantle.
Convection currents are the
circulation of hot material
rising and cool material
sinking. We can see this
happen in boiling water or
from the steam coming off of a warm drink. Hot magma heated by the Earths core rises towards
the upper mantle where it meets the crust. As the magma reaches the crust it begins to cool and
sinks back down to the Earths core.

What pushes tectonic plates? _________________________

Describe a convection current. __________________________________________________

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The first movement of an earthquake, called the main shock, is often followed by
smaller ground trembles, called aftershocks. These aftershocks are the plates settling into their
new position. Aftershocks can continue for days after the main shock. There are an estimated
500,000 earthquakes around the world each year. Most are so mild they are only recorded on
scientific instruments. Only about 100,000 can be felt by humans. Of these, only about 19 a
year cause major damage.

What is the first movement of an earthquake called? ______________________________

What are the smaller ground trembles after? _________________________________

How long can earthquakes last for? ___________________________________

How many earthquakes happen each year and how many can humans feel? _____________

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Compared to the total number of earthquakes each year, how many are harmful? _________

Major earthquakes in
cities and towns can cause
huge destruction. Buildings
collapse, roads and bridges
buckle and crack, and
electrical and gas lines break
and cause fires. If the
earthquake happens in the
ocean, it makes a series of
huge ocean waves called a
tsunami. The tsunami travels
until it finally reaches land, where it causes large flooding.
Scientists are searching for ways to predict earthquakes. They study the historical
patterns of earthquakes and monitor the movement of the plates with seismic equipment. While
they cannot predict an exact date of a future earthquake, they have a better understanding of
when earthquakes are more likely to happen.

What can earthquakes do to cities and towns? _____________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

What can ocean earthquakes make? ____________________________

How do scientists try to predict earthquakes? ______________________________________

 Scientists study earthquakes is by
measuring how strong the shaking of
earthquakes are. They use an instrument called
a seismograph to measure the intensity of the
earthquake, which is measured on the Richter
Scale. An earthquake that registers 5.0 on the
Richter scale has a shaking amplitude 10 times
greater than an earthquake that registered 4.0
at the same distance. So when we hear of an
Earthquake of 5.6 on the Richter Scale in
Mexico and one that is
6.6 on the Richter Scale in Japan we know that
the shaking in Japan would be ten times more than in Mexico.

What do scientists use to measure earthquakes? ___________________________

What scale measures earthquakes? ________________________________

If one earthquake is 7.2 on the Richter scale and the second 5.2, how much greater is the first
earthquake than the second? _________________________________________

Traveling through the interior of the earth, body waves arrive before the surface waves
emitted by an earthquake. These waves are of a higher frequency than surface waves.
The first kind of body wave is the P wave or primary wave. This is the fastest kind of
seismic wave, and, consequently, the first to 'arrive' at a seismic station. The P wave can move
through solid rock and fluids, like water or the liquid layers of the earth. It pushes and pulls the
rock it moves through just like sound waves push and pull the air.
The second type of body wave is the S wave or secondary wave, which is the second
wave you feel in an earthquake. An S wave is slower than a P wave and can only move through
solid rock, not through any liquid medium. It is this property of S waves that led seismologists to
conclude that the Earth's outer core is a liquid. S waves move rock particles up and down, or
side-to-side to the direction that the wave is traveling in.
 Travelling only through the crust, surface waves are of a lower frequency than body
waves, and are easily distinguished on a seismogram as a result. Though they arrive after body
waves, it is surface waves that are almost entirely responsible for the damage and destruction
associated with earthquakes. This damage and the strength of the surface waves are reduced
in deeper earthquakes.

What are the first waves to arrive after an earthquake? ___________________________

Which waves do you feel in an earthquake? _______________________________

What type of material can both S and P waves travel through? ________________________

What layer do surface waves travel through? ________________________________

Which of the waves cause damage? ____________________________________

Earthquake Research Challenge
As Vancouver is expecting The Big One we should all do our best to prepare for when it
comes. The best way to prepare for an earthquake is to understand them. It is your job to study
an earthquake and/or an effect of one such as a tsunami from around the world.

Part 1: Answer the questions below:

Where did the earthquake happen? ________________________________

How long did the earthquake last? __________________________________

Were there any aftershocks? _________________________

What did the earthquake measure on the Richter Scale? __________________________

How much damage did it cause? And why? _______________________________________

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Part 2: Come up some questions yourself and research the answers:

1)

2)

3)