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    Earthquake: CE 231 Engineering Geology & Geomorphology

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    Muhammad
    The document discusses plate tectonics and earthquakes. It explains that earthquakes occur at plate boundaries as the tectonic plates shift and move. The earth's crust is broken into plates that float on the asthenosphere in the mantle. When plates interact at their boundaries, it causes earthquakes and volcanic activity. The major plate boundaries are where earthquakes predominantly occur.

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    Earthquake: CE 231 Engineering Geology & Geomorphology

    Uploaded by

    Muhammad
    43 views39 pages
    The document discusses plate tectonics and earthquakes. It explains that earthquakes occur at plate boundaries as the tectonic plates shift and move. The earth's crust is broken into plates that float on the asthenosphere in the mantle. When plates interact at their boundaries, it causes earthquakes and volcanic activity. The major plate boundaries are where earthquakes predominantly occur.

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    Basic concept about earthquake.

    Original Title

    Earthquake 01 (2)

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    The document discusses plate tectonics and earthquakes. It explains that earthquakes occur at plate boundaries as the tectonic plates shift and move. The earth's crust is broken into plates that float on the asthenosphere in the mantle. When plates interact at their boundaries, it causes earthquakes and volcanic activity. The major plate boundaries are where earthquakes predominantly occur.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    43 views39 pages

    Earthquake: CE 231 Engineering Geology & Geomorphology

    Uploaded by

    Muhammad
    The document discusses plate tectonics and earthquakes. It explains that earthquakes occur at plate boundaries as the tectonic plates shift and move. The earth's crust is broken into plates that float on the asthenosphere in the mantle. When plates interact at their boundaries, it causes earthquakes and volcanic activity. The major plate boundaries are where earthquakes predominantly occur.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 39

    CE 231

    Engineering Geology & Geomorphology

    EARTHQUAKE
    Sheikh Sharif Ahmed

    Department of Civil Engineering


    Chittagong University of Engineering &
    Technology

    INTRODUCTION TO EARTHQUAKE
    What is Earthquake
    An earthquake is an unpredictable event
    in which masses of rock shift below Earth's
    surface, releasing enormous amounts of
    energy and sending out shock waves that
    sometimes cause the ground to shake
    dramatically.

    Energy released radiates in all


    directions from its source, the focus.
    Energy propagates in the form of
    seismic waves.
    Sensitive instruments around the

    INTRODUCTION TO EARTHQUAKE
    The Release of Energy

    INTRODUCTION TO EARTHQUAKE
    The Focus & the Epicenter
    The point within
    Earth
    where
    faulting begins is
    the
    focus,
    or
    hypocenter.
    The point directly
    above the focus
    on the surface is
    the epicenter.

    WHERE DO EARTHQUAKES OCCUR


    Plate Boundaries

    WHERE DO EARTHQUAKES OCCUR


    Faults

    WHERE DO EARTHQUAKES OCCUR


    Faults

    CAUSES OF EARTHQUAKE
    Plate Tectonics Theory

    Earth is divided into sections called


    Tectonic plates that float on the fluidlike interior of the Earth.

    Earthquakes are usually caused


    sudden movement of earth plates.

    by

    Rupture of rocks along a fault

    Faults are localized areas of weakness


    in the surface of the Earth, sometimes
    the plate boundary itself.

    CONSTITUTION OF THE EARTH

    Crust
    Lithosph
    ere
    Asthenosp
    here
    Mesospher
    e
    Liquid Outer
    Core
    Solid Inner
    Core

    CONSTITUTION OF THE EARTH

    CONSTITUTION OF THE EARTH

    CONSTITUTION OF THE EARTH


    The Shallowest Layer: the Crust

    The crust is the most heterogeneous


    layer in the Earth.
    The crust is on average 33 km thick for
    continents and 10 km thick beneath
    oceans; however it varies from just a
    few km to over 70 km globally.
    The boundary between the crust and
    the mantle is mostly chemical.
    The crust and mantle have different
    compositions.
    This boundary is referred to as the
    Mohorovii discontinuity or Moho.

    CONSTITUTION OF THE EARTH

    CONSTITUTION OF THE EARTH


    The Shallowest Layer: the Crust
    Two types of crust exist.
    Continental crust

    Granitic
    Lighter (less dense)
    Floats 'higher'
    Thicker

    Oceanic crust

    Basaltic
    Heavier (more dense)
    Sinks 'deeper'
    Thinner

    CONSTITUTION OF THE EARTH


    The Shallowest Layer: the Crust

    CONSTITUTION OF THE EARTH


    Middle Earth: the Mantle

    Earths mantle exists from the bottom


    of the crust to a depth of 2891 km
    (radius of 3480 km) Gutenberg
    discontinuity.

    It is further subdivided into:

    The uppermost mantle (crust to 400 km


    depth)
    The transition zone (400 700 km depth)
    The mid-mantle (700 to ~2650 km
    depth)
    The lowermost mantle (~2650 2891 km
    depth)

    CONSTITUTION OF THE EARTH


    Earths Core

    Owing to the great pressure inside the


    Earth, the Earths core is actually
    freezing as the Earth gradually cools.
    The boundary between the liquid outer
    core and the solid inner core occurs at a
    radius of about 1220 km Lehman
    discontinuity, after Inge Lehman from
    Denmark.
    The boundary between the mantle and
    outer core is sharp.
    The change in density across the core-

    CONSTITUTION OF THE EARTH


    Earths Core

    The viscosity of the outer core is similar


    to that of water, it flows kilometers per
    year and creates the Earths magnetic
    field.
    The
    outer
    core
    is
    the
    most
    homogeneous part of the Earth
    The outer core is mostly an alloy of iron
    and nickel in liquid form.
    As the core freezes latent heat is
    released; this heat causes the outer
    core to convect and so generates a

    CONSTITUTION OF THE EARTH


    Mechanical Layers
    1. Lithosphere
    2. Asthenosphere
    3. Mesosphere

    CONSTITUTION OF THE EARTH

    Mechanical Layers

    CONSTITUTION OF THE EARTH

    Mechanical Layers

    CONSTITUTION OF THE EARTH


    Mechanical Layers
    Lithosphere
    The lithosphere is the uppermost 50100 km of the Earth.

    There is not a strict boundary between


    the lithosphere and the asthenosphere
    as there is between the crust and
    mantle.

    It consists of both crust and upper parts


    of mantle.

    It behaves rigidly, like a solid, over very


    long time periods.

    CONSTITUTION OF THE EARTH


    Mechanical Layers
    Asthenosphere
    The
    asthenosphere exists
    depths of 100-200 km.

    between

    It is the weakest part of the mantle.

    It is a solid over short time scales, but


    behaves like a fluid over millions of
    years.

    The asthenosphere decouples the


    lithosphere (tectonic plates) from the
    rest of the mantle.

    CONSTITUTION OF THE EARTH


    Mechanical Layers
    Asthenosphere

    CONSTITUTION OF THE EARTH


    Tectonic Forces

    The interior of the Earth is dynamic it


    cools down and thus provides energy
    for convective currents in the outer core
    and in the asthenosphere.

    Additional
    energy
    radioactive decay...

    comes

    from

    PLATE TECTONICS

    Plate Tectonics theory is very young


    (1960-ies)

    It provides answers to the most


    fundamental questions in seismology:
    Why earthquakes occur?
    Why are earthquake epicenters not
    uniformly distributed around the globe?
    At what depths are their focal?

    PLATE TECTONICS
    Plates

    The earths surface is broken into ~ 20


    rigid plates.

    All plates contain oceanic crust; some


    also have continental.

    All plates move on convecting mantle


    at the rate fingernails grow.

    Plates interact at their edges causing


    volcanoes and earthquakes.

    PLATE TECTONICS
    Plates
    The Plates of Plate Tectonics are
    fragments of lithosphere.
    Lithosphere, the outermost layer of
    Earth, consists of
    The crust and
    The uppermost mantle

    Lithosphere is strong and rigid.


    Lithosphere
    moves
    over
    asthenosphere which is
    Weaker
    Softer

    the

    PLATE TECTONICS
    Plate tectonics yields a unified explanation
    of:

    Earths major surface processes

    The distribution of earthquakes

    The distribution of volcanoes

    The origin of continents and ocean


    basins

    The past distributions of plants and


    animals

    The
    mechanism
    (mountain building)

    of

    orogenesis

    PLATE TECTONICS
    Plate Motion

    All plates move relative to one other.

    Motion is very slow (on a human time


    scale)* - 1 to 15 cm/yr.

    Motion is continuous.

    Motion averages 5 cm (2 inches) per


    year. as fast as your fingernails grow.
    *On a geologic time scale plate motion is
    extremely rapid

    PLATE TECTONICS
    Earths Major Plates
    Seven major lithospheric plates

    Pacific (largest)

    Eurasian

    African

    North American

    Antarctic

    South American

    Australian

    PLATE TECTONICS
    Earths Minor Plates
    Many minor plates and micro plates
    Juan de Fuca
    Philippine
    Arabian
    Caribbean
    Cocos
    Nazca
    Scotia
    Some plates have been destroyed
    (Farallon plate)

    PLATE TECTONICS

    Earths Plates

    PLATE TECTONICS
    Plate Boundaries
    Plates are rigid.
    When they interact, plate interiors
    remain intact.
    Plate boundaries, however, are modified
    by deformation

    Faulting
    Folding
    Thickening / Thinning
    Melting

    Plate boundaries are the locations of


    large-scale geologic phenomenon Volcanoes
    Earthquakes
    Mountain chains

    PLATE TECTONICS

    Plate Boundaries

    PLATE TECTONICS
    Identifying Plate Boundaries

    Plate boundaries are marked


    earthquake foci (centers).

    Plate
    interiors
    earthquake free.

    are

    by

    comparatively

    PLATE TECTONICS

    Plate Boundaries

    PLATE TECTONICS

    Plate Boundaries

    PLATE TECTONICS

    Plate Boundaries

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