In July 1990

In October 2013

How ready are we when

the next strong earthquake
jolts our land?

EARTHQUAKES
Shaking Grounds

Essential Questions
What is an earthquake?
What is a fault?

What are the different types of faults?

How are earthquakes formed?

Earthquake
A natural geological phenomena caused by
sudden and rapid movement of a large volume
of rock

A trembling or shaking of the earths crust

The shaking is due to the release of energy
from cracks between rocks called faults

Fault
A fracture in a rock
formation along which
there has been
movement of the blocks
of rock on either side of
the plane of fracture

Anatomy of a Fault

San Andreas Fault (most

famous in the world)

West Valley Fault

(The Big One)

Digdig Fault, Imugan,

Nueva Vizcaya

Kinds of Fault

Normal Fault

Reverse Fault

Strike-Slip Fault

How earthquakes
are formed?

Harry Fielding Reid

An American
geophysicist notable
for his studies of the
famous 1906 San
Francisco Earthquake

His most important

contribution in the field
of seismology was the
explanation for the
mechanism of an
earthquake.

Elastic Rebound Theory

Elastic Rebound Theory

Elastic Rebound Theory

Rocks undergo stress due to the forces from
the Earths interior.

Stress is built among rocks and stores it as

elastic potential energy.

However, there is a limit to which rocks can

store this stress.

Once the stress limit is reached, energy is

released in the form of vibrations resulting to
an earthquake.

Anatomy of an Earthquake

Seismology
The Science of Earthquakes

Seismology
Dates back to
attempts made by
Chinese almost 2000
years ago to
determine the
direction from which
these waves
originated

Seismology

Seismograms
Records obtained from seismographs
Provide useful information about the nature of
seismic waves

Seismic Waves
A form of elastic energy that causes vibrations
in the material that transmits them

Mechanical in nature (needs medium for

propagation)

Classes of Seismic Waves

Seismic Waves

Body Waves

P-wave

S-wave

Surface Waves

Body Waves
Seismic waves that travel through the Earths
interior

Classified as p and s waves

P-waves

Characteristics of pwaves
Longitudinal
Fastest in terms of speed

Can travel through solid, liquid and gas

Can temporarily change the volume of
intervening material

S-waves

Characteristics of swaves
Transverse
Can change the shape of the material that
transmits them

Travel only in solids

Surface waves or L-waves

Characteristics of l-waves
Motion is restricted to near the Earths surface
Combination of longitudinal and transverse
motion

Comparison among the

three seismic waves
P-waves travel 1.7 times faster than s-waves.
L-waves are roughly 10 percent slower than
s-waves.

L-waves have the longest amplitude, hence

carries the most destructive energy.

Lets wrap it up
What is an earthquake?
What is a fault?

What are the different types of faults?

How are earthquakes formed?