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What is an earthquake?
- The sudden release of energy from the
sudden slip of rock blocks against one another
How does the Elastic Rebound Theory explain the cause of earthquakes?
The theory states that stress builds up in rocks until they exceed their strength, causing them to break and release energy as seismic waves.
What type of stress (tension, compression, shear) causes blocks of rocks to move along tectonic plate boundaries?
Tension stress causes blocks of rocks to move apart, compression stress causes them to move together, and shear stress causes them to slide past one another.
How do volcanic activity and fracking produce earthquakes?
Both volcanic activity and fracking can induce earthquakes by altering the pressure within the Earth's crust, leading to the sudden release of energy in the form of seismic waves.
How are megathrust earthquakes produced and where are they located?
produced at subduction zones where one tectonic plate is forced under another, leading to immense stress accumulation and eventual release. They are typically located along convergent plate boundaries, such as the Pacific Ring of Fire.
How do P-waves, S-waves, Love waves, and Rayleigh waves differ in location, amplitude, and particle motion?
P-waves are primary waves that travel fastest through the Earth, S-waves are secondary waves that follow, Love waves move side to side, and Rayleigh waves roll along the surface. Their amplitudes vary, with surface waves generally having larger amplitudes than body waves.
How do P-waves, S-waves, and surface waves differ in movement speed?
P-waves are the fastest seismic waves, followed by S-waves, with surface waves being the slowest. P-waves compress and expand the ground, S-waves move the ground up and down or side to side, while surface waves travel along the Earth's surface causing more damage.
How is the S-P time gap used to find the earthquake epicenter?
The S-P time gap is the difference in arrival times between P-waves and S-waves at a seismic station. By measuring this gap, seismologists can determine the distance to the epicenter, allowing for triangulation with data from multiple stations to pinpoint its location.
How do we know the core has a liquid layer?
Seismic waves, particularly S-waves, cannot travel through the outer core, indicating it is liquid. Additionally, the behavior of P-waves changes at the core-mantle boundary, providing evidence of a liquid outer core.
