Earthquakes

Subjet:
English

Nombre:
Gumercindo de la cruz jimenez
What is an earthquake?

An earthquake is a shaking of the ground caused by the sudden breaking and movement of
large sections (tectonic plates) of the earth's rocky outermost crust. The edges of the tectonic
plates are marked by faults (or fractures). Most earthquakes occur along the fault lines when
the plates slide past each other or collide against each other.
Naturally occurring earthquakes

Tectonic earthquakes occur anywhere in the earth where there is sufficient stored elastic
strain energy to drive fracture propagation along a fault plane. The sides of a fault move past
each other smoothly and aseismically only if there are no irregularities or asperities along the
fault surface that increase the frictional resistance.
Why Do Earthquakes Happen?

Although the Earth looks like a pretty

solid place from the surface, it’s
actually extremely active just below
the surface. The Earth is made of four
basic layers: a solid crust, a hot,
nearly solid mantle, a liquid outer core
and a solid inner core.
Effects of earthquakes

The effects of earthquakes include, but are not limited to, the following:
Shaking and ground rupture
Shaking and ground rupture are the main effects created by earthquakes, principally resulting
in more or less severe damage to buildings and other rigid structures. The severity of the
local effects depends on the complex combination of the earthquake magnitude, the distance
from the epicenter, and the local geological and geomorphological conditions, which may
amplify or reduce wave propagation.The ground-shaking is measured by ground
acceleration.
 How Do We Measure
Earthquakes?

The energy from an earthquake travels through Earth in

vibrations called seismic waves. Scientists can measure
these seismic waves on instruments called seismometer.
A seismometer detects seismic waves below the
instrument and records them as a series of zig-zags.

Scientists can determine the time, location and intensity

of an earthquake from the information recorded by a
seismometer. This record also provides information about
the rocks the seismic waves traveled through.
Do Earthquakes Only Happen on Earth?

Earthquake is a name for seismic activity on Earth, but Earth isn’t the only place with seismic
activity. Scientists have measured quakes on the Earth’s moon, and see evidence for seismic
activity on Mars, Venus and several moons of Jupiter, too!