Earthquakes

Presentation by Hemanth D,
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2/7/2012

Earthquakes by Hemanth (School presentation)

Earth Quake
What is an earthquake?
The trembling and shaking of earth s surface is called an earthquake or tremor. As it trembles it releases earth s energy which moves out as waves, like the ripples on the lake.

2/7/2012

Earthquakes by Hemanth

 Where does an earthquake happen ?

It happens at tectonic plate margins/edges or at major fault lines.

Why does it happen?

Earthquakes are usually caused when rock underground suddenly breaks along a fault. This sudden release of energy causes the seismic waves that make the ground shake.

2/7/2012

Earthquakes by Hemanth

Structure of the earth

The cross section of the earth shows the three main layers 1. Inner most layer Core 2. Middle layer Mantle 3. Outer most layer- Crust

The crust is the outer layer of the earth. It is a thin layer between 0-60 km thick. Two different types of crust: 1. Continental crust, which carries land, 2. Oceanic crust, which carries water
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Crust of the earth

The crust of the earth is composed of a great variety of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. The crust is underlain by the mantle. The crust and underlying relatively rigid uppermost mantle make up the lithosphere The temperature of the crust increases with depth. Because of this heat lithosphere is broken into major or minor rock plates that move. This moving rock plates are called tectonic plates

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Earthquakes by Hemanth

Fault (Geology term)

In geology, the term fault means discontinuity in a volume of rock. Fault line is the line of intersection between 1. a block of rock and earth s surface 2. one block of rock with another block of rock Based on relative movement of one rock over the other the faults are classified into three categories

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Earthquakes by Hemanth

Fault types
No Fault name Description 1 Normal Fault block of rock above the fault plane moved downwards relative to another block of rock block of rock above the fault plane moved upwards relative to another block of rock Fault on which two blocks of rocks slide past one another

2.

Reverse Fault

3.

Strike Slip fault

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Earthquakes by Hemanth

Focus, Epicenter and Seismic waves

Focus is the point at which the rock moves Epicentre is the point directly above the focus on the Earth s surface The seismic waves start from the focus and produces three types of seismic waves, which travel through rock with different velocities: 1. Longitudinal Primary-waves (P-waves) 2. Transverse Secondary-waves (S-waves) 3. Surface waves

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Earthquakes by Hemanth

Prediction
a tilt-meter is an instrument that can check any movement within the rocks water levels can rise in wells and lakes because of cracks in the rock foreshocks before the main quake can be detected by a seismometer

animals can act strangely before the earthquake

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Earthquakes by Hemanth

Studies related to earthquake

Earthquake engineering is the scientific field concerned with protecting society, the natural and the man-made environment from earthquakes by limiting the seismic risk to socio-economically acceptable levels The main objectives of earthquake engineering are: 1. Foresee the potential consequences of strong earthquakes on urban areas and civil infrastructure. 2.Design, construct and maintain structures to perform at earthquake exposure up to the expectations and in compliance with building codes.

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E.g.
To minimize the damages and human losses the countries in earthquake prone zone maintain building regulations are followed. Overlapping bricks

strong lintels

deep foundations The Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco , built to withstand earthquakes, swayed more than 1 foot but was not damaged in the 1989 California earthquake
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 Seismology is the branch of science which deals with the research and study of earthquakes. The scientists are called seismologist. Seismograph(or seismometer) is the instrument used to record the shaking of the earth's surface caused by seismic waves. Seismogram is the report/record created by seismograph

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Measurement
We measure earthquake s 1. Magnitude (the strength) of earthquake We use Richter scale. It is a scale that ranges from 1 to 10 and measures the energy released by an earthquake 2. Intensity of shaking We use Mercalli scale. This scale ranges from 1 to 12 and shows the intensity

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Seismometer or Seismograph measures the magnitude of earthquake

Seismogram Seismogram

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Effects of Earthquake
Shaking and ground rupture Landslides and avalanches Fires and floods Tsunami Human impacts- epidemic disease outbreak

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Effect of Earthquake- pictures

Ground shaking

Surface Faulting

Tsunamis

Fires

Soil liquefaction

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Aftershocks
An aftershock is an earthquake that occurs after a previous earthquake, the main shock. It is in the same region of the main shock but always of a smaller magnitude. If an aftershock is larger than the main shock, the aftershock is re-designated as the main shock and the original main shock is re-designated as a foreshock. Aftershocks are formed as the crust around the displaced fault plane adjusts to the effects of the main shock

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Earthquake facts
4 out of 5 of the world's earthquakes take place along the rim of the Pacific Ocean, a zone called the Pacific Ring of Fire The shaking of the ground is not what kills most victims of earthquakes. The main killers in earthquakes are falling buildings, fires, landslides, avalanches and tsunamis The deadliest known quake in history shook China in 1556, taking about 830,000 lives An earthquake happens somewhere in the world once every thirty seconds Earthquake can trigger volcanoes to erupt

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Strong earthquakes
Listed below are all known earthquakes measured or estimated to have a Richter scale of 9 or above Date May 22, 1960 Mar 27, 1964 Dec 26, 2004 Mar 11, 2011 Nov 4, 1952 Nov 25, 1833 Jan 26, 1700 Country Chile USA Indonesia Japan Russia Indonesia USA and Canada Name Valdivia earthquake Alaska earthquake Indian Ocean earthquake T hoku earthquake Kamchatka earthquakes Sumatra earthquake Cascadia earthquake Magnitude 9.5 9.2 9.1 9.3 9.0 9.0 9-9.2 9-9.2

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