Name Class Date

CHAPTER 8 Earthquakes
SECTION

3 Earthquakes and Society

National Science
BEFORE YOU READ Education Standards
After you read this section, you should be able to answer ES 1b
these questions:
• Can scientists predict when earthquakes will happen?
• Why do some buildings survive earthquakes better
than others?
• How can you prepare for an earthquake?

What Is Earthquake Hazard?

Earthquake hazard tells how likely it is that a place STUDY TIP
will have a damaging earthquake in the future. Scientists Be Prepared As you
look to the past to figure out earthquake-hazard levels. A read, underline important
safety information that can
place that has had a lot of strong earthquakes in the past help you to prepare for an
has a high earthquake-hazard level. A place that has had earthquake.
few or no earthquakes has a much lower level.

Earthquake Hazard Map of the Continental United States

Highest
earthquake-hazard
level

TAKE A LOOK
1. Identify On the map,
find the place where
Lowest you live. What is its
earthquake-hazard
level earthquake-hazard level?

Look at the map above. Notice that California has the

highest earthquake-hazard level in the country. The San
Andreas Fault Zone runs through most of California, and
a lot of earthquakes happen there. Minnesota has a very
low earthquake-hazard level. Very few strong earthquakes
have been recorded in Minnesota.

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SECTION 3 Earthquakes and Society continued

Can Scientists Predict Earthquakes?

You know that earthquakes have different magnitudes.
You can probably guess that earthquakes don’t happen
on a set schedule. But what you may not know is that the
strength of earthquakes is related to how often they happen.
Scientists can’t predict earthquakes. However, by
looking at how often earthquakes have happened in the
past, they can estimate where and when an earthquake is
likely to happen.
Look at the table below. It shows the number of earth-
quakes of different sizes that happen every year. There
are many more weak earthquakes than strong earth-
quakes every year.

Description Magnitude on the Average number

Richter scale per year
Great 8.0 and higher 1

Math Focus
Major 7.0 to 7.9 18
Strong 6.0 to 6.9 120
2. Calculate About how many
Moderate 5.0 to 5.9 800
times more light earthquakes
than strong earthquakes Light 4.0 to 4.9 6,200
happen every year? Minor 3.0 to 3.9 49,000
Very minor 2.0 to 2.9 365,000

Scientists can guess when an earthquake will happen

by looking at how many have happened in the past. For
example, if only a few strong earthquakes have happened
recently in an earthquake zone, scientists can guess that
a strong earthquake will happen there soon.

What Is the Gap Hypothesis?

Critical Thinking
3. Apply Concepts What
do you think makes strong
earthquakes more likely to
happen in seismic gaps?
Some faults are very active. They have a lot of earthquakes
every year. These faults sometimes have very strong
earthquakes. A part of an active fault that hasn’t had a strong
earthquake in a long time is called a seismic gap.
The gap hypothesis says that if an active fault hasn’t
had a strong earthquake in a long time, it is likely to have
one soon. In other words, it says that strong earthquakes
are more likely to happen in seismic gaps.

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SECTION 3 Earthquakes and Society continued

How Do Earthquakes Affect Buildings?

Have you ever seen pictures of a city after a strong Critical Thinking
earthquake has hit? You may have noticed that some 4. List Give three factors
buildings don’t have very much damage. Other buildings, that can affect how much a
building will be damaged by
however, are totally destroyed. Engineers can study the an earthquake.
damage to learn how to make buildings that are stronger
and safer.

A mass damper is a
weight that is placed in
the roof of a building.
Computers can sense
when the building is
moving. The computers
move the mass damper
around to help keep
the building from
moving too much.

Steel cross braces are Flexible pipes can

found between the help to prevent water
floors in a building. lines and gas lines
They help to keep the from breaking. The
building from breaking pipes can bend and
when it moves from twist without breaking.
side to side.

An active tendon system is like a TAKE A LOOK

mass damper, except it is placed 5. Compare How is a mass
under the building.
damper different from an
active tendon system?
Base isolators can absorb energy
during an earthquake. They keep
seismic waves from moving through
the building. Base isolators are
made of rubber, steel, and lead.

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SECTION 3 Earthquakes and Society continued

How Can You Prepare for an Earthquake?

If you live in a place where earthquakes happen often,
you and your family should have an earthquake plan. You
should practice your plan so you will be prepared if an
READING CHECK earthquake happens.
6. Explain Why is it
important to make and How Can You Make an Earthquake Plan?
practice an earthquake plan?
There are several things to include in your earthquake
plan.

SAFE HOME
Put heavy things near the floor so that they do not fall
during an earthquake. Make sure things that can burn are
kept away from electric wires and other things that can
start a fire.

SAFE PLACES IN YOUR HOME

READING CHECK
7. Identify Think about
your bedroom. Write down
a safe place in your bedroom
that you can go during an
earthquake.
Make sure you know a safe place in each room in your
home. Safe places are areas far from windows or heavy
objects that could fall or break.
PLAN TO MEET OTHERS
Talk to your family, friends, or neighbors and set up a
place where you all will meet after an earthquake. If you
all know where to meet one another, it will be easy to
make sure that everyone is safe.

EARTHQUAKE KIT
Your earthquake kit should have things that you might
need after an earthquake. Remember that you may not
have electricity or running water after an earthquake.
TAKE A LOOK
8. List List four foods that
would be useful to have in an What Should Be in an Earthquake Kit
earthquake kit.
• water • food that won’t go bad
• a fire extinguisher • a flashlight with batteries
• a small radio that runs • extra batteries for the radio
on batteries and flashlight
• medicines • a first-aid kit

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SECTION 3 Earthquakes and Society continued

What Should You Do During an Earthquake?

If you are inside when an earthquake happens, crouch
or lie facedown under a table or a desk. Make sure you
are far away from windows or heavy objects that might
fall. Cover your head with your hands. READING CHECK
If you are outside during an earthquake, lie face down 9. List Look around your
on the ground. Make sure you are far from buildings, classroom. List two places
that you could go in case of
power lines, and trees. Cover your head with your hands. an earthquake.
If you are in a car or bus, you should ask the driver to
stop. Everyone should stay inside the car or bus until the
earthquake is over.

Say It
Share Experiences Have you
ever been in an earthquake?
In a small group, talk about
what it was like.

What Should You Do After an Earthquake?

Being in an earthquake can be scary. After an earthquake
happens, people are often confused about what happened.
They may not know what to do or where to go.
After an earthquake, try to stay calm. Look around you.
If you are near something dangerous, like a power line or
broken glass, get away as quickly as you can. Never go into
a building after an earthquake until your parent, a teacher, a
police officer, or a firefighter tells you it is safe. READING CHECK
Always remember that there could be aftershocks. 10. Identify Who should
Aftershocks are weaker earthquakes that can happen you ask if you want to know
whether it is safe to go
after a large earthquake. Even though they are weaker back into a building after
than the main earthquake, aftershocks can still be very an earthquake?
strong and damaging.
Stick to your earthquake plan. Stay together with your
family or friends so that they know you are safe.

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Section 3 Review NSES ES 1b

SECTION VOCABULARY
gap hypothesis a hypothesis that is based on
the idea that a major earthquake is more likely
to occur along the part of an active fault where
no earthquakes have occurred for a certain
period of time
seismic gap an area along a fault where
relatively few earthquakes have occurred
recently but where strong earthquakes have
occurred in the past

1. Identify Why are seismologists interested in seismic gaps?

2. Describe Fill in the chart below to show what you should do during an earthquake.

If you are... Then you should...

...inside a building

...lie face down on the ground with your hands on your head, far
from power lines or fire hazards.
...in a car or bus

3. Identify What do engineers do to learn how to make a building more likely to

survive an earthquake?

4. Identify Relationships What is the relationship between the strength of an

earthquake and how often it occurs?

5. Infer In most cases, you should stay inside a car or a bus in an earthquake. When
might it be best to leave a car or a bus during an earthquake?

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Interactive Textbook 150 Earthquakes
 Earth Science Answer Key continued

SECTION 3 EARTHQUAKES AND SOCIETY 7. Water: More water makes explosive

1. Answers will vary. eruptions more likely.
2. about 50 times more Silica: More silica makes explosive
eruptions more likely.
3. If an active fault hasn’t had a strong earthquake
in a long time, pressure is building up. More 8. hardened magma that is blasted into the air
pressure leads to stronger earthquakes. 9. They both have sharp edges.
4. height, mass, composition, location 10. Small pieces of lava harden before they hit
5. A mass damper is placed at the top of a build- the ground.
ing. An active tendon system is in its basement. 11. about 120 mi/h
6. You will know what to do in an earthquake.
Review
7. Possible answers: doorway, under a desk or
table 1. Lava is magma that flows on the Earth’s
surface.
8. any nonperishable food
2. explosive and nonexplosive
9. Possible answers: under the desk, in the
doorway 3. Magma with a lot of water is likely to erupt
explosively.
10. a parent, teacher, police officer, or firefighter
4. It is thinner and runnier, so gases can escape
Review more easily.
1. Earthquakes are more likely to occur in seis- 5. Both are lava flows with smooth surfaces.
mic gaps than in other places. Pillow lava forms underwater. Pahoehoe
forms on land.
2. If you are... Then you should...
6. Large blobs of magma harden in the air.
...inside a ...crouch or lie face down under a desk or
building table, away from glass or heavy objects; 7. Pressure builds up inside bubbles in magma.
cover your head with your hands When the pressure gets high enough, the bub-
...outside ...lie face down on the ground with your bles shatter, producing tiny fragments of rock.
hands on your head, far from power 8. a fast-moving “river” of hot ash and dust
lines or fire hazards
from a volcano
...in a car ...ask the driver to pull over and stop;
or bus stay inside the car or bus until the 9. explosive
earthquake is over

3. They look at the damage to other buildings SECTION 2 EFFECTS OF VOLCANIC

from earthquakes. ERUPTIONS
4. Small earthquakes occur much more often 1. Ash and dust in the atmosphere block
than large earthquakes. sunlight, preventing it from reaching
5. Possible answers: The car is on fire; the car is Earth’s surface.
in a dangerous location (e.g., railroad tracks). 2. Layers of lava from nonexplosive eruptions
build up into a mountain.
Chapter 9 Volcanoes 3. pyroclastic material
4. explosive eruptions
SECTION 1 VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
5. They are made of layers of different materials.
1. a body of magma below a volcano
6. ash and lava
2. hardened lava flows
7. a funnel-shaped pit around the central vent
3. nonexplosive of a volcano
4. Explosive eruptions are less common.
Explosive eruptions produce ash and dust Review
instead of lava. 1. A crater is a funnel-shaped pit around the cen-
5. magma composition tral vent at the top of a volcano. A caldera is a
6. It can block the volcano’s vents, causing large semicircular depression that forms when
pressure to build up. the magma chamber of a volcano collapses.

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