Earthquakes
Def
Vibrations or tremors in the earths crust caused by the movement of the plates in the mantle
Parts of an earthquake
Focus
Epicenter
Tremor
Subtopic
Recording and Measuring Earthquakes
Modified Mercalli Scale
intensity and effects
Richter Scale
Energy released
Magnitude
Seismographs
detect waves
LQ1 - Predicting
Ground tilting
Lasers
Unusual animal behavior
Radon Gas Emissions
escape from earths crust
Oil & water levels
rising levels = ground under pressure
Crustal Stress levels
holes 1.5km deep
Seismometers
vibrations in the earths crust
LQ1 - Preventing
Earthquake drills
Government's
Protect building - structural damage
Earthquake proof buildings
Prepare rescue & recovery plans
LQ3 - Tectonic Cycle and distribution
of earthquakes
Destructive Plate Boundary
Pacifc plate subducts Eurasian Plate
Japan 2011
Passive Plate Boundary
Pacfic plate and N. America plate slide past eachother
Pacfic Pate 5cm a year
North Westerly Direction
Example: 1960 San Fran - San Andres Fault Line - 1300km long
LQ2 - Japan tsunami 2011
11/03/2011
Plates - Pacific subducts Eurasian Plate
Destructive Plate Boundary
Magnitude 9
10km deep trench - Japan Trench
Earthquake Focus 30km below sea floor
Epicenter 130km east of city of Sendai
Tsunami - 8m uptrust of 180km seabed
Short term effects
Tsunami - 6m high
10km inland
Towns washed away
farmlands under water
Aftershock- magnitude 6.0 or greater
Subtopic
Death
over 20,000
Infrastructure destroyed
road & rail
Nuclear Power Plant
level 7 meltdown
Long term effects
138,000 building destroyed
Subtopic
Governament
import large amounts of fossil fuels to meet electricity
needs
€70 billion per year deficits
Affect marine life
Fishing & tourist industry affected
radioactive contamination