Lecture 3 - Earthquakes and Volcanoes Flashcards
What is the most common reason for an earthquake?
Movement of the plates
Epicentre?
The point where the seismic rupture begins (origin)
Seismograph?
Used to measure an earthquake
Earthquake magnitude?
Measured by moment magnitude, logarithmic, quantitative measurement (M1, M5, etc.)
Earthquake intensity?
Modified Mercalli intensity scale: qualitative, based on damage to structures/perceptions (I - XII)
Shake maps?
Use seismograph data to show areas of intesnes shaking
Dip slip fault?
Vertical movement, includes Normal, Reverse, and Blind
Hanging wall?
The top wall of a fault
Footwall block?
The bottom wall of a fault
Normal fault?
The hanging wall moves down
Reverse fault?
The hanging wall moves up
thrust fault: if a reverse fault is 45º or less
Blind fault?
Don’t extend to the surface
Strike slip fault?
Horizontal movement: the plates slide past eachother
Active fault:
movement during the past 11 600 years
Potntially active fault:
movement during the past 2.6 million years
Inactive fault:
no movement in the last 2.6 million years
Tectonic creep?
Movement along a fault is so gradual that earthquakes are not felt
P waves (primary/compressional)?
move fast with a push/pull slinky motion, good in all states of matter
S waves (secondary/shear?)
moves like a water wave, but only through solids
Surface waves?
rolling waves on the surface that move more slowly than body waves
Love waves
surface waves that cause horizontal shaking
Rayleigh waves
surface waves with rolling motion
How can distance to the epicentre be determine from S and P waves?
Compare travel times of the two wave types using triangulation
When does amplification occur?
When energy is transferred from P and S waves to surface waves