EARTHQUAKE

SOHAM SENGUPTA
B.M.E – IV SEC – A2
ROLL – 000711201052
JADAVPUR UNIVERSITY
 WHAT ARE EARTHQUAKES?

 The shaking or trembling caused by the sudden

release of energy
 Usually associated with faulting or breaking of rocks
 Continuing adjustment of position results in
aftershocks
 WHAT IS THE ELASTIC REBOUND THEORY?
 Explains how energy is
stored in rocks
 Rocks bend until the

strength of the rock is

exceeded
 Rupture occurs and the

rocks quickly rebound

to an undeformed
shape
 Energy is released in

waves that radiate

outward from the fault
KINDS OF FAULTS

 Fault - a break in Earth’s crust where slabs of crust

slip past each other. They usually occur along plate
boundaries where the forces of plate motion
compress, pull, or shear the crust so much that the
crust breaks.

 There are 3 main types of faults :-

 Normal faults
 Strike-slip fault
 Reverse faults
STRIKE-SLIP FAULT
 Strike-slip fault -
shearing causes these
faults. Rocks on either
side of the fault slip past
each other sideways
with little up-or-down
motion. They also form
transform boundaries.
 Example - San Andreas
fault
 NORMAL FAULT

 The fault is at an
angle, so one block
of rock lies above the
fault while the other
block lies below the
fault.
 REVERSE FAULTS

 Compression produce
reverse faults.
 It is like a normal fault
but the blocks move in
the opposite direction.
 The Focus and Epicenter of an Earthquake

• The point within

Earth where
faulting begins is
the focus, or
hypocenter
• The point
directly above
the focus on the
surface is the
epicenter
WHAT ARE SEISMIC WAVES?

 Response of material to the

arrival of energy fronts released
by rupture
 Two types:
I. Body Waves (P and S)
- Travel through the body of the
earth.
II. Surface Waves (R and L)
- Travel through the surface of the
earth
 P - WAVES
These are primary or compressional
waves

FEATURES : -
A. Back and forth wave motion alternately
squeezes and stretches.
B. They can travel through any material
( solid rocks, magma, ocean water, even
air).
 S - WAVES
These are secondary or shear
waves
FEATURES :-
A. Side to side wave motion at right
angles to the direction the wave is
traveling
B. They can travel through solids but not
through liquids.
 SURFACE WAVES: R AND L
WAVES

 Surface Waves
 Travel just below or along the ground’s

surface
 Slower than body waves; rolling and side-

to-side movement
 Especially damaging to buildings
 MEASURING AND DETECTING
EARTHQUAKES
Seismographs -
instrument that detects
and records
earthquake (seismic)
waves

A. Horizontal Motion
B. Vertical Motion
C. Heavy weight is attached to a
base anchored in bedrock
D. Seismogram - record sheets on
drums that move very slowly
HOW IS AN EARTHQUAKE’S EPICENTER LOCATED?
Seismic wave behavior
 P waves arrive first, then S waves, then L and R
 Average speeds for all these waves is known

 After an earthquake, the difference in arrival times at a

seismograph station can be used to calculate the distance

from the seismograph to the epicenter.
HOW IS AN EARTHQUAKE’S
EPICENTER LOCATED?
 Three seismograph
stations are needed to
locate the epicenter of
an earthquake
 A circle where the
radius equals the
distance to the
epicenter is drawn
 The intersection of the
circles locates the
epicenter
 EARTHQUAKE MAGNITUDE

Richter Scale - magnitude number represents the total

amount of energy release by the earthquake itself
independent of intensity.

Amplitude of the largest wave produced by an event is

corrected for distance and assigned a value on an
open-ended logarithmic scale

Each number is 32 times stronger than the one before

it.
Magnitudes Effects

Less than 3.5 *Generally not felt, but

recorded.

3.5-5.4 *Often felt, but only minor

damage.

5.5-6.0 *Slight damage to

buildings.
6.1-6.9 * Can be destructive in
areas where people live.

7.0-7.9 *Major earthquake.

Causes serious damage.

8 or greater *Great earthquake.

Total destruction to
nearby communities.
 EFFECTS OF EARTHQUAKE

Shaking and ground rupture

Landslides and avalanches
Fires
Soil liquefaction
Tsunami
Floods
Human impacts
WHERE DO EARTHQUAKES OCCUR AND
HOW OFTEN?
~80% of all earthquakes occur in the circum-
Pacific belt
 most of these result from convergent

margin activity
 ~15% occur in the Mediterranean-Asiatic

belt
 remaining 5% occur in the interiors of

plates and on spreading ridge centers

 more than 150,000 quakes strong enough

to be felt are recorded each year

 Can Earthquakes be Controlled?
Scientists are continuously thinking of ways to try and
reduce earthquake power. Some are trying to lessen the
friction between colliding plates. They poured water
down a fault where two plates were grinding together.
The water “lubricated” the fault, letting one piece jerk
free with a number of little earthquakes and preventing a
large tremor.

Architects are also designing earthquake-proof buildings,

constructing on rock instead of gravel, or on soft sand or
clay. Large structures are made with strong frameworks
of steel or reinforced concrete, so that the frame stands
firm even if the ground is shaking.
CONCLUSION

Researchers are always trying to

reduce the impact of earthquakes.
They continue to study and
experiment with ways to tame the
Earth. However, we all still have much
more to learn before we can control
the power of one of nature’s most
amazing phenomena.
THANK
YOU