Earthquakes and Volcanoes Week 3 Reading
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Dec 6, 2023
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CHAPTER 3 Internal Energy & Plate Tectonics
1.
What is an Earthquake?
An Earthquake is a sudden and violent shaking of the ground and sometimes causing great
destruction, as a result of movements within the Earth’s crust or volcanic action.
2.
Describe the laws of original horizontality, superposition, and original continuity.
How are they
used to recognize faults on the Earth’s surface?
The law of original horizontality suggest that all rock layers are originally laid down horizontally
and can later be deformed. The law of superposition states that within a sequence of layers of
sedimentary rock, the oldest layer is at the base and that the layers are progressively younger
with ascending order in the sequence. The law of original continuity states that sediment is
originally deposited in a continuous horizontal sheet until it meets some obstacle.
3.
What is Strike and Dip? What is the difference between a Dip-slip fault and a strike-slip fault?
Strike is the compass bearing of a horizontal line on a plane, such as a bedding plane or fault. Dip
is the angle and direction of its inclination from the horizontal. The difference between a dip-slip
and a strike-slip is that strike slips are when rock move alongside one another, while dip-slips is
when the rock moves along the dip of the vault.
4.
What are the two types of dip-slip faults and what sorts of forces (stresses) are responsible for
each?
Two types are normal fault which is a hanging wall moves down relative to footwall and reverse
fault which is a hanging wall moves up relative to footwall.
5.
What is the meant by the “headwall” and “footwall” of a fault? How do the two types of dip-slip
faults differ in terms of their head and footwalls?
A hanging wall is the block of rock above the plane of the fault. A footwall is the block of rock
below the plane of the fault.
6.
What type of force (stress) is responsible for a strike-slip fault, and what are the two different
types?
The force responsible for a strike-slip fault is shear force. The two different types are tensional
force and compressional force.
7.
What is the difference between the hypocenter (focus) and epicenter of an earthquake?
The Epicenter is the location on the surface of the Earth directly above where the earthquake
starts, and the Hypocenter is the location in the Earth where the earthquake starts.
8.
What is a seismometer and what does it measure?
The internal part of the seismograph, which may be a pendulum, or a mass mounted on a spring.
They measure the motion of the ground during an earthquake.
9.
Compare and contrast P-waves and S-waves.
P-waves can travel through liquid and solids and gases, while S-waves only travel through solids.
10.
How are P- and S-waves used to determine the location of an earthquake?
By measuring the time interval between the arrivals of the P and S waves.
11.
What does the Richter Scale measure? What types of earthquakes is it capable of describing?
It measures the magnitude of an earthquake. It capable of describing earthquakes that is
magnitude 3 to 7.
12.
What is the Moment Magnitude Scale? What types of earthquakes is it used to describe?
A scale that measures an earthquakes magnitude based on its seismic moment. It describes
earthquakes that are much larger.
13.
On either scale, how much bigger is a 4 than a 2? How much bigger is an 8 than a 4?
A 4 is 100 times as hard as a 2. A 4 is felt by everyone and minor damage is done. A 2 is felt by
some people but no damage. An 8 is severe destruction and loss of life over large areas.
14.
What is the Mercalli Scale?
What’s are the differences between this scale and either the Richter
or Moment Magnitude Scales?
The Mercalli scale describes the intensity of an earthquake based on its observed effects. The
difference between that and the Richter scale is that the Richter scale describes the earthquakes
magnitude by measuring the seismic waves that cause the earthquake.
15.
What strategies are used to safely construct buildings in earthquake-prone areas?
Some strategies are to implement shear walls, cross braces, diaphragms, and moment-resisting
frames to a building.
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