North Carolina’s Earthquakes
& Volcanoes
Name _________________________________________________________
North Carolina Earthquakes
Score
February 21,
1774
Period
1
2
3
4
/16
March 6, 2014
Grade
%
Winston-Salem
•Estimated less than 5.0
•Shockwaves were felt throughout Virginia and Southern NC
February 10 April 17, 1874 McDowell County
•75 earthquakes hit in an area over 40 km (25 miles) in diameter
•Intensity was around 5
•Tremors were strong enough to shake wooden structures, but no damages were
reported
August 31, 1886
0-9 months ago
Charleston, SC
•Shocks were felt over 160 km (99 miles) around the epicenter
•60 people were killed around the epicenter
•Chimneys were knocked down, walls were cracked, and plaster fell from the walls
•Areas of damage include: Abbottsburg, Charlotte, Elizabethtown, Henderson,
Hillsborough, Raleigh, Waynesville and Whiteville
February 21,
1916
9 months – 3 years ago
Waynesville, NC
•Intensity was 7 and a magnitude of 5.2
•Chimneys were knocked down, window panes were broken, and people rushed
into the streets
•Shockwaves were felt as far as Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama,
Georgia, Kentucky and West Virginia
December 13,
1969
Glenville, NC
•Intensity 5 earthquake let out a sonic boom
•The area affected included about 9,000 km (5500 miles) in both North and South
Carolina
September 9,
1970
Boone, NC
•Similar to that on December 18, 1969
3-7 years ago
Recent
Earthquakes
North Carolina
•2 Earthquakes occurred in the past month
•12 Earthquakes occurred in the last year
North Carolina’s Earthquakes
& Volcanoes
Name _________________________________________________________
Period
1
2
3
4
Volcanoes
Score
/16
1. Anatomy of a Volcano – see the diagram
on the right.
2. Magma vs. Lava - The difference between magma and lava is location –
a. Magma is underground
b. Lava is above ground
3. Types of Lava –
a. A’a –
b. Pahoehoe –
i. Flows slowly
ii. Made of basalt
minerals
iii. Hardens into sharp,
spiny surface
iv. Erupts at temperatures
between 1000 and
1100oC
c. Pillow –
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
March 6, 2014
Grade
%
Thinner
Flows in fast rivers
Forms lava tubes
Erupts at temperatures
between 1100 and
1200oC
Erupts underwater
Cools immediately from contact with the water
Forms a hard shell around the vent
Additional lava comes out as pillows from
cracks in the shell
v. Small, bulbous masses of lava
d. The type of volcano created is based on the type of lava that erupts from it.
4. Types of Volcanoes
a. Cinder Cones –
b. Composite (stratovolcanoes)–
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
Simplest type
High gas content
Lava is blown into the air
Have a bowl-shaped crater
Not very tall (less than 1000 feet high)
Numerous in western N. America
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
i. Steep-sided
ii. Have alternating layers of lava flows,
volcanic ash, cinders, blocks, and bombs
iii. May rise as much as 8000 feet
iv. Examples : Mount Fuji Japan),
Mount Cotopaxi (Ecaudor), Mount
Shasta, Mount Hood, and Mounts St.
Helens & Rainier (United States)
North Carolina’s Earthquakes
& Volcanoes
c. Shield
Name _________________________________________________________
Period
Score
1
2
3
4
/16
March 6, 2014
Grade
%
d. Lava Domes
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Built out of lava flows (not eruptions)
Have a flat, dome shape
Common around rift zones
Largest in the world – Mauna Loa (largest shield
volcano) is 28,000 feet above its base
v. Examples: Hawaiian Islands
i. Lava is too thick to flow so it piles over its vent
ii. Can be created on the sides of other volcanoes
or as short, steep-sided lava flows(“coulees”)
iii. Grow mainly from expansion within
iv. Example: Mont Pelée (Martinique)
5. Dangers of Volcanoes
a. Lava Flows – dangerous to human life, property,
ii. Flow very fast
traffic and communication (causes burning)
e. Lahars – volcanic mud (from snow melting
b. Poisonous – lethal gases can be ejected
mixing with ash) and debris flows
i. Damages eyes, skin, respiratory systems
i. Hazardous to people and property
(animals & humans)
f. Volcanic Debris Avalanches – generated by large
c. Ashfalls –
portions of volcanic cones
i. can collapse roofs and houses
i. Bury large tracts of land
ii. Damaging to crops and industry
ii. Dam streams
d. Pyroclastic Flows – a mixture of volcanic gases
iii. Create tsunamis
and ash
iv. Mix with lakes or seas
i. Extremely hot (900oC)
6. Paricutin, Mexico
a. A cinder cone volcano started growing on a farm
b. By the end of the eruption, the cone reached a height of 1200 feet and covered 100
square miles with ash
c. Destroyed the town of San Juan
d. The eruption lasted 9 years
7. The Year with No Summer
a. Spring 1816
i. Spring turned into winter
ii. The sky was permanently overcast because the sun was blocked
iii. Farmers lost their crops and there were food shortages in Ireland,
France, England, and US
iv. Potato famine in Ireland
v. Frost was seen in June, snow fell in New England
b. Resulted from the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia in April of 1815
North Carolina’s Earthquakes
& Volcanoes
Name _________________________________________________________
Questions
Score
Period
1
2
3
4
/16
March 6, 2014
Grade
%
NC Earthquakes
1. Which earthquake had the highest magnitude? ________________________________________________________
2. Which earthquake had the smallest magnitude? _______________________________________________________
3. In which part of the state do we see the most number of earthquakes? _____________________________________
4. Why do the earthquakes tend to occur there the most? _________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Why does California have more big earthquakes than North Carolina? ______________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Volcanoes
1. How many different types of lava is there? ___________________________________________________________
2. What factor(s) determine the type of lava that erupts? _________________________________________________
3. What factor(s) determine the type of volcano that forms? _______________________________________________
4. How many different types of volcanoes are there? _____________________________________________________
5. Identify the types shown in the pictures below.
b.
a.
________________
________________
d.
c.
________________
________________
6. Read the list of dangers that occur because of volcanic eruptions. Determine which are the 3 most dangers effects
and list them in order.
a. ___________________________________________________________________________________________
b. ___________________________________________________________________________________________
c. ___________________________________________________________________________________________