Tracking Earthquakes and Volcanoes using Google Earth
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Magnitude - 5.8
Location - Puerto Rico
Date - May 16,
Time - 05:16:10 UTC or 01:16:10 AM at epicenter
Depth - 113.00 km ( 70.21 mi)
Tectonic plate boundary – Oceanic-to-Oceanic Convergence
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Magnitude - 4.5
Location - Haiti region
Date - Thursday, May 20, 2010
Time - 06:34:12 UTC and 01:34:12 AM at epicenter
Depth - 10.00 km (6.21 mi)
Tectonic plate boundary - Transform Strike Slip
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Magnitude – 5.1
Location - Sothern Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Date - Monday, May 17, 2010
Time - 20:05:41 UTC and 07:05:41 PM at epicenter
Depth - 10.00 km (6.21 mi)
Tectonic plate boundary - Divergent
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Magnitude - 5.8
Location - Minahasa, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Date - Sunday, May 16, 2010
Time - 00:33:08 UTC and 08:33:08 AM at epicenter
Depth - 141.10 km (87.68 mi)
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Tectonic plate boundary - Oceanic-to-Oceanic Convergence
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Magnitude - 4.6
Location - Kuril Islands
Date - Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Time - 08:33:49 UTC and 08:33:49 PM at epicenter
Depth - 49.70 km (30.88 mi)
Tectonic plate boundary - Oceanic-to-Oceanic Convergence
Volcano – Shield volcano/Pyroclastic cones
Tectonic Plate Boundary - Hot Spot
Mauna Kea – Hawaii (USA)
Volcano - Cinder cones
Tectonic Plate Boundary - Oceanic-to-Continental Convergence
Bald Knoll – Utah (USA)
Volcano - Caldera/Lava Domes/Cinder Cones – Hot Spot
Tectonic Plate Boundary - Hot Spot
Hot Spot – Yellowstone National Park
Volcano - Stratovolcano/Pyroclastic cones
Tectonic Plate Boundary - Oceanic-to-Continental Convergence
Rainer – Washington (USA)
Most of all earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in specific areas not just at random. They mostly
occur along plate boundaries, such as the Ring of Fire. Many highly populated areas are located near
active fault zones, which has made millions of people suffer personally and economically. Although, not
all fault movement is destructive or even violent, there are many danger zones that are, and many have
become highly populated. Earthquakes can be mild and many go unfelt but some can be very damaging
and kill many. Just like earthquakes, there are many very mild volcano eruptions that do not do any
damage or very minimal. There are however, volcanoes that can erupt and destroy everything in their
path and beyond because of volcanic ash put off into the air. Tectonic Plate Boundaries are still not
totally understood but we get the general idea. There is still much to learn what goes on within the earth.
It is interesting that probably two of the worst natural disasters are caused from tectonic plates. For
volcanoes, because of convection in the mantle, new oceanic crust is created. Magma is formed when
the oceanic crust subducts below the lighter continental granite, deep enough where it begins to melt
under great heat and pressure. The molten rock which is the magma, is less dense than the surrounding
rock so it then rises to the surface which creates volcanoes. For earthquakes, when the two tectonic
plates, oceanic and continental, come in contact with each other, the denser oceanic crust will subduct
below the continental crust. Sometimes they can become stuck which causes a lot of pressure and will
eventually snap and cause a lot of damage. When the rocks begin to bend or strain under these tectonic
forces, there is a large amount of energy that builds up. It may suddenly break or snap when the stress
becomes too great and releases large amounts of energy causing an earthquake. Doing this exercise I
realized that many of earthquakes and volcanoes take place along the coast or on islands, which are
surrounded by water or on the Ring of Fire.
Before this class, I did not realized the power and damage that earthquakes can have. I have seen or
heard about places where earthquakes or volcanoes have taken place but have not actually been in the
area when either one has gone off. When learning how bad the earthquake in Utah may be, I realized
that these forces are much more powerful than I realized. I always knew they could do a lot of damage
but I guess it didn’t really hit me until hearing about what it could do in my hometown. I didn’t realized
that the volcano in Yellowstone may be powerful enough to affect us in a way that we may not survive if
not the whole world. I also did not know that most earthquakes and volcanoes occur along the plate
boundaries. I also learned that earthquakes don’t kill, buildings do. And the areas we decide to live in
because they are a high risk for natural disasters.
I also learned that there is a source of internal heat that is required for volcanic activity. Plate tectonics
are fueled by the escape of this heat. The exterior and the interior of the earth are constantly in motion.
The mobile rock beneath the rigid plates, what scientists call convective flow, moves in a circular motion.
When it is heated, it rises to the surface which it then spreads and begins to cool, and then sinks back to
the bottom and continues in this motion. Something else I found very interesting is that volcanic ash is
actually like glass, which can be very dangerous when it is in the air we breathe and all around us. I also
did not know that the Earth appears to be the only planet that is still volcanically and tectonically active,
which may be why it is unique in our solar system.