Earthquakes - Day 3 LP2017W1
Earthquakes - Day 3 LP2017W1
Earthquakes - Day 3 LP2017W1
Sept 27th Normal lecture time/place
Fragile Systems and Earthquakes
Review session Monday Sept 25th
5‐7pm Woodward IRC Rm2
Sounds of seismic – Earth System Soundscape
http://sos.allshookup.org/
Earthquakes
What do we feel?
Mexico, 2017
What is an earthquake?
Clicker Question?
What are the dominant fault types at a
convergent plate boundary?
A) Normal faults
B) Reverse (or thrust) faults
C) Strike‐slip faults
D) Not my fault
Earthquakes
• We feel the waves, or vibrations, produced by
elastic rebound
• Plate tectonic forces stress the rocks causing
them to deform or strain
• The lithosphere deforms elastically at first, but
eventually breaks – brittle deformation
• Stored elastic energy is released and the
deformed rocks rebound to their original
state…..but have moved!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuvx2bPb
bbU&feature=youtu.be
Earthquakes
• Rupture of rocks (usually along a pre‐existing
fault plane)
• Waves propagate away from the rupture point
• We feel the waves
• Are all waves the same?
Measuring Earthquakes
Seismic Waves
Body waves travel inside materials (the Earth)
Surface waves travel along boundaries between materials
P wave (Primary wave)
body waves
• compression and extension of the solid (or
fluid), like a sound wave
• particles move in same direction wave
propagates
• fastest type of seismic wave: about 6 km/second
in continental crust
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~braile/edumod/waves/WaveDemo.htm Larry Braile
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~braile/edumod/waves/Pwave.htm
S wave (Secondary wave)
body waves
• shearing distortion of the solid
• particles move perpendicular to direction
wave propagates
• slower than P wave: about 3.5 km/second in
continental crust. Cannot pass through fluids!
Larry Braile
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~braile/edumod/waves/Swave.htm
Surface waves
surface waves
require an interface: ground‐air, water‐air,
mantle‐liquid outer core
slower than body waves
Rayleigh wave: vertical and horizontal motion parallel to wave
travel direction (like an ocean wave)
Larry Braile
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~braile/edumod/waves/Rwave.htm
Surface waves
surface waves
Love wave: horizontal movement
perpendicular to wave travel
direction
Larry Braile
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~braile/edumod/waves/Lwave.htm
Activity – seismicity race!
• ~20 volunteers for each aisle
• Work as a team ‐
• First be P‐wave
• Now be a S‐wave
• Now for the race!!!
Seismic Waves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8dsrBf16pc
Actual ground movement
http://ds.iris.edu/ds/products/usarraygmv/
http://ds.iris.edu/spud/gmv/4841
Surface Waves
From Russian nuclear test
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19fMs633Td4
Clicker Question?
Seismic waves can travel through and around the entire planet.
Take a look at these seismographs all recording the same
earthquake.
Which of these was recorded at a location furthest from the
earthquake hypocentre?
Where was the hypocenter?
We can use the time delay between P and S wave arrivals to
determine how far away the earthquake was
We need data from at least 3 seismometers to triangulate
the location
Why do we care?
Where was the hypocenter?
Where was the hypocenter?
• With one station we know how far away the quake is but not
where it is or even what direction the waves came from
St Louis
St Louis
• 2 stations will give one of 2 points
Memphis
Where was the hypocenter?
Fig. 4.23
Three Stations =
Triangulation!
Where was the hypocenter?
How big?
Distinguish between magnitude and intensity
• magnitude indicates how much energy was released.
• intensity is how strong the ground motion is at the felt
location.
•Consider a light bulb …
What has the biggest affect on the amount of damage to
buildings during an earthquake?
A) Proximity to the earthquake hypocentre
B) Magnitude of the earthquake
C) Size of the buildings
D) Number of people in the buildings
E) Design of the buildings
Earthquake Magnitude
Several different Scales for measuring Magnitude…….
1) Local or Richter Magnitude (ML) ‐ or the Richter Scale
Based of maximum ground motion – usually the surface wave amplitude
** Fast method for estimating magnitude…..but inaccurate**
2) Moment Magnitude (Mw)
Based on the area of rupture and slip on fault – now the standard
** slower to calculate but more accurate measure of size**
Earthquake Magnitude
Earthquake Magnitude
•The Richter scale (ML) measures amplitude (size of waves on
seismograph).
–Not accurate for large or distant earthquakes
–No longer in use
Geologists now use:
Moment Magnitude scale Mw
– Measures strain energy
along rupture surface
(energy released)
– Logarithmic energy released =
strength of rock x area of fault that moved x
how much it moved
Earthquake Magnitude
Earthquake Magnitude
Earthquake Magnitude
Earthquake Magnitude
For each increase on the Magnitude scale, ground motion increases by
a Factor of 10.
A logarithmic scale (powers of 10)
Magnitude Mw1 Mw2 Mw3 Mw4
increase:
Ground motion 101 102 103 104
increases by:
10 100 1000 10000
For each increase on the Magnitude scale, Energy released
increases by a factor of 101.5 or ~32 times the energy released
Magnitude increase: Mw1 Mw2 Mw3 Mw4
Energy released 101.5 103 104.5 106
increases by:
31.62 1000 31623 1000000
~32 ~32x32 ~32x32x32 …….
Clicker Question?
Clicker Question?
A Mw8 earthquake releases approximately how
much more energy than a Mw6 earthquake?
A)2 times
B) 64 times
C) 100 times
D)1000 times
E) 10,000 times
Clicker Question?
How much more ground motion (shaking side‐side
or up‐down) does a Mw9 earthquake cause when
compared to a Mw7 earthquake?
A)0.1 times
B) 1 times
C) 10 times
D)100 times
E) 1000 times
Earthquake Intensity
• Qualitative (descriptive) estimate of how ground motion
affects population and structures
• It is what we feel in an earthquake,
your perception of ground shaking
• The damage resulting from the vibrations
Did the Earth move for you?
• We use the Modified Mercali Scale
– Ranges from 1 (felt by very few or not at all) to 12 (total
destruction)
Modified Mercali Scale Moment Magnitude
Intensity Effects
I Felt by very few people
II Felt by only a few people at rest, especially on upper floors of buildings. 2
III Felt noticeably. Vibration feels like the passing of a truck
3
IV Sensation of a heavy truck striking a building
V Felt by nearly everyone; many people awakened
4
VI Felt by all. Damage is slight
VII Almost everybody runs outdoors. Damage is 5
negligible/moderate/considerable
VIII Damage is slight/considerable 6
IX Damage is considerable
X Most of buildings are destroyed. Underground pipes are broken. 7
Few structures remain standing. Bridges are destroyed. 8
XI
XII Damage is total. Waves are seen on the ground surface.
Nisqually earthquake, Seattle ‐ February, 2001 Mw = 6.8
Watch this and describe the intensity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0WuSCaTYI0&hl
Earthquake Intensity
Earthquake Intensity
Factors that influence our perception of earthquake intensity:
1) Magnitude
Lower Magnitude = less intense
Less energy ‐ waves less powerful
2) Distance from hypocentre
Further = less intense……….Seismic waves attenuate (weaken) as
they travel
Earthquake Intensity
Factors that influence our perception of earthquake intensity:
3) Structural Resistance
Building reaction to ground motion, Building design
More resistant = less intense
4) Duration
How long? Short = less intense; Long = more intense
Shaking from a Mw 9 earthquake will last 4‐5 minutes
Clicker Question?
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