Earthquakes
Made by: Isabel Quinones &
Becky Ramey
How many “supercontinents” did Alfred
Wegener’s theory of continental drift
assume?
- One, the
supercontinent
called Pangaea.
The Earth’s crust is made up of a series of
twelve interconnected landmasses called
tectonic plates. What are the major plates that
affect the U.S?
- North American,
Juan De Fuca, and
the pacific plate.
Why do you think that California has so many
earthquakes and Florida doesn’t? In what
hazard zone is your home located?
- California is on a
plate boundary,
Florida is not.
- Illinois is in the low
hazard zone 2-4.
What is considered to be the most destructive
earthquake in history? When did it occur, where
was it, what was its magnitude, and how many
people died?
The 1556 Shaanxi earthquake is the deadliest
earthquake on record.
When- It occurred the morning of January 23,
1556 AD.
Death Toll- Killing approximately 830,000
people.
Magnitude- 8
Question 4 continued………
Where- In Shaanxi, China. More than 97
counties in the provinces of Shaanxi. Shaanxi,
Henan, Gansu, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, and
Anhui were affected. A 520 mile- wide area
was destroyed and in some counties, 60% of
the population was killed.
What are the three basic types of plate
boundaries?
Divergent- plates move away from each
other.
Convergent- plates move toward each
other.
Transform- Two plates slide past each
other.
What are tsunamis, what causes them,
and how fast do they travel?
- A tsunami is a series of ocean waves with very
long wavelengths.
Cause- sudden motion on the ocean floor.
Speed- can reach speeds of 500 mph.
What are the two types of energy waves created by an
earthquake and how do they differ? Which wave travels
faster?
- The two types of
waves are primary and
secondary waves.
- Primary waves travel
faster because they
go through solids,
liquids, and gases.
How much more energy is released by a 7.2
earthquake than a 6.2 earthquake?
- A 7.2 earthquake
releases 32 times
the energy than a
6.2 earthquake.
What applications does seismology have besides
measuring the magnitude and location of earthquakes?
- Reflection and
refraction can be
used for locating
layers of varying
density and
underground
hydrocarbons.
Where did most earthquakes happen last week?
- California.
Can scientists predict earthquakes?
- Scientists have
known for decades
of the faults, but
predicting when such
shock will occur is
beyond even our
modern day
technology.
How do scientists know where an earthquake
actually occurred?
- Earth’s surface and
the earthquake’s
focus, the breaking
point where the
vibrations
originated.
THANKS FOR
WATCHING!
