eso) EI Natural Hazards Earthquake Risks sreseeeees Before You Read +++--++--+++++ ‘What do you think? Read the two statements below and decide whether you agree or disagree with them, Place an A in the Before column if you agree with the statement or a D if you disagree. AMter you've read ths lesson, reread the statements to see if you have changed your mind Key Concept + Why are some areas more likely to experience an earthquake than others? Before Statement After All earthquakes occur at plate boundaries. Earthquakes can be predicted, seeeeeeeeeeeeeesRead to Learn -s-ceeeeeeeeeeee Identify the Main Ideas Write a phrase beside each paragraph that summarizes the main point of the paragraph. Use the phrases to review the lesson. Where do earthquakes occur? The map below shows where earthquakes occur on Earth. Few earthquakes occur in the middle of a continent. Most earthquakes occur in the oceans and along the edges of continents where tectonic plates meet. canbe © Me Een Pern Antarctic Plate Reading Essentials Natural Hazards 1 “THIS MATERIAL Ig PROVIDED FOR INDIVIDUAL EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED OR FURTHER DISTRIBUTED.Earthquakes and Plate Boundaries Notice the pattern in the map between earthquakes and plate boundaries. Earthquakes result from the buildup and release of stress along plate boundaries. Imagine bending a stick until it breaks. When the stick snaps, it vibrates, releasing energy. Earthquakes release energy in a similar way. Earthquakes are the vibrations in the ground that result from movement along breaks in Earth’s crust. These breaks are called faults. A fault is a break in Earth’s crust along which movement occurs. Scientific Vocabulary .— force 1 (noun) a push or a pull Why do rocks move along a fault? The forces that move tectonic plates also push and pull rocks along a fault. If these forces become large enough, the blocks of rock on either side of the fault can move past each other. The rocks might move vertically (up or down) or horizontally (sideways). The size of an earthquake depends on the amount of force applied to the fault. The greater the force applied to a fault, the greater the chance of a large and destructive earthquake occurring, Earthquakes can occur anywhere between Earth's surface and depths of greater than 600 km. ‘Scientific Vocabulary. — tectonic plates (noun phrase) the large sheets of rock that form the surface of the Farth | Academie Vocabulary How are earthquakes measured? vertical (adjective) going straight Earthquakes range from barely noticeable vibrations to up and down devastating waves of energy. Magnitude describes the amount of energy released by an earthquake. Scientists have developed ‘Academic Vocabulary several methods for measuring an earthquake. horizontal (adjective) flat and level! Earthquake Magnitude The Richter magnitude scale is a numerical rating system that measures the energy, or magnitude, of the largest seismic waves produced by an earthquake. This scale is based on the height, or amplitude, of earthquake waves. The waves are measured using a tool called a seismograph. The Richter scale uses the amount of ground motion at a given distance from an earthquake to determine magnitude, Each increase of one unit on the Richter scale represents 10 times the amount of ground motion. For example, a magnitude 8 earthquake produces 10 times greater shaking than a magnitude 7 earthquake does and 100 times greater shaking than a magnitude 6 earthquake does (10 X 10) rrr) ‘A magnitude 1 earthquake produces 10 times (greater shaking than a magnitude 2 earthquake ‘A magnitude 4 earthquake produces 100 times {greater shaking than a magnitude 2 earthquake. ‘A magnitude 6 earthquake produces 1,000 times greater shaking than a magnitude 3 earthquake. 300 or 102 sentials 2. Natural Hazards Reading “HIS MATERIALS PROVIDED FOR INDIVIDUAL EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED OR FURTHER DISTRIBUTEDThe differences in the amounts of energy released by earthquakes are even greater than the differences between the amplitude of their waves. For each increase of one unit on the scale, an earthquake releases 32 times more seismic energy. For example, a magnitude 6 earthquake releases approximately 1,024 times more energy than a magnitude 4 earthquake does (32 x 32) Moment Magnitude Scale When an earthquake is first reported, the Richter magnitude scale is usually applied first. After further study, the moment magnitude of the earthquake can be determined. The moment magnitude scale is o rating scale that measures the energy released by an earthquake, taking into account the size of the fault that breaks, the motion that occurs along the fault, and the strength of the rocks that break during an earthquake. Both scales measure the magnitude of an earthquake, and can produce similar readings. However, the moment magnitude scale uses newer technologies to produce a more accurate measurement of an earthquake. Scientific Vocabulary seismic (adjective) relating to or caused by earthquakes Modified Mercalli Scale Another way to measure and describe an earthquake is to examine the amount of damage that results from the shaking. Shaking is directly related to the intensity, or strength, of an earthquake. The Modified Mereal seale measures the intensity of an earthquake based on descriptions of its effects on people and structures, The scale ranges from I, an earthquake that people do not feel, to XII, an earthquake that destroys everything, The higher the number is, the greater the effects, Earthquake Damage The amount of damage from an earthquake depends on the strength of the earthquake, the nature of surface materials, the design of structures, and the distance to the epicenter. The epicenter is the point on Earth's surface directly above where the energy from an earthquake is first released. Often, the area closest to the epicenter will suffer the most damage. Reading Essentials Netural Hazards 3 “HIS MATERIAL Is PROVIDED FOR INDIVIDUAL EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED OR FURTHER DISTRIBUTEDWhat factors affect the amount of damaged caused by an earthquake? Earthquakes are relatively common along plate boundaries. ‘An earthquake of magnitude 5 can devastate one area along a boundary, yet cause little harm to another area. Many factors determine how much damage an earthquake causes. These factors are called earthquake hazards. Scientists can help Scientific Vocabulary. -— factor (noun) one thing that influences or causes a situation prevent some damage and loss of life by identifying an area's, earthquake hazards Word Origin: - - Structural Failure A nearby guitar string tuned to the same frequency frequency will begin to vibrate by itself in response to the sound from Latin frequentia, ‘waves traveling through the air. This is resonance. Seismic waves ‘means "crowded" ' can generate the same kind of resonance in structures “tuned” to the same frequency as the seismic waves. This can result in structural failure. Structures can fail in different ways. They can fail when supporting walls are weak, or when the height of a building causes the building to violently sway. The table below describes two ways structures can fail. Scientific Vocabulary .- - - -. sway (verb) to move back and forth Structural Damage Paneaking | Pancaking happens when the supporting walls of the ground floor of a building fail, This causes the upper Scientific Vecabulary.————. | 1 floors to fall and collapse as they hit lower floors. The debris (adjective) the pieces that are left after something is destroyed resulting debris resembles a stack of pancakes, so the process is called pancaking Building | Structural failure can result because of the height of a Height building. All structures have natural frequencies of vibration. Tall buildings sway with a natural period that depends on their heights and other factors. The higher the building, the longer its natural period of vibration is. Seismic waves with the same period as that of a tall building can cause the building to sway violently and collapse during an earthquake. Land and Soil Failure In addition to factors related to a building's structure, an area’s geology can contribute to structural failure. The shaking of an earthquake produces more damage in areas covered by loose sediment than it does in places built on solid bedrock. Wet soil can be strong most of the time, but the shaking from an earthquake can cause it to act more like a liquid in a phenomenon called liquefaction. The liquid-like ground is not strong enough to support heavy buildings. So part of a building can sink into the ground, causing the building to collapse Liquefaction is responsible for most damage to buildings after an earthquake occurs. In sloping areas, earthquakes can trigger massive landslides. A landslide is the rapid downhill movement of soil, loose rocks, and boulders. 4. Natural Hazards Reading ‘THIS MATERIAL IS PROVIDED FOR INDIVIDUAL EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED OR FURTHER DISTRIBUTED. sentialsTsunami You have learned about the hazards associated with earthquakes that occur on land. But what happens when earthquakes occur on the ocean floor? A tsunami is ¢ large ocean wave generated by vertical motion of the seafloor during an earthquake. A tsunami can be caused by an underwater earthquake. Far from shore, a tsunami has a short wave height, often less than 30 m high. However, the wavelength can be hundreds of kilometers long, As a tsunami nears shore, it slows down and grows higher. Many tsunamis grow only a few meters high as they move onto shore. But some can rise as high as, 30 m. The water from a tsunami is driven by powerful energy from an earthquake. As a result, tsunamis can cause major damage. What determines if an area is at high risk for earthquakes? Earthquakes can be devastating to places and people. For this reason, scientists work hard to determine when and where earthquakes will likely occur. An area’s earthquake risk is based in part on how often it experiences an earthquake. Areas that experience the most earthquakes are at greater risk. In the United States, the highest risk of earthquakes occurs near tectonic plate boundaries of the western states. The transform plate boundary in California and the convergent plate boundaries in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska have the highest earthquake risks. However, not all earthquakes occur near plate boundaries. Some parts of the central and eastern United States have high earthquake risk because of past activity. Their risk is based on their geologic history. Areas that experience earthquakes in the past will likely experience earthquakes again. Academie Vocabulary .— — — devastating t (adjective) causing great! damage or harm Science Use v. Common Use transform Science Use horizontal relative motion Common Use to change | How can scientists predict when an earthquake will happen? The probability that you will be affected by an earthquake depends on where you live and whether that area experiences tectonic activity. Scientists can tell you how likely it is that your area will experience an earthquake, but they cannot tell you exactly when the earthquake will occur. Reading Essentials Natural Hazards 5 “HIS MATERIALS PROVIDED FOR INDIVIDUAL EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND MAY NOT BE DOMALOADED OR FURTHER DISTRIBUTEDPredicting Earthquakes Earthquakes cannot be predicted reliably. But scientists can determine where earthquakes are most likely to occur in the United States. This helps cities plan for future earthquake events. Cities can take action to reduce damage and loss of life. Areas at high risk for earthquakes help drive the need for earthquake safe technologies. Scientific Vocabulary. ~ - probability (noun) how likely something is to happen Reducing the Impacts of Earthquakes Scientists evaluate risk in several ways. They study the probability that an earthquake will occur in an area, They study past earthquake activity, the geology around a fault, the population density, and the building design in an area. Engineers use these risk assessments to design buildings that can withstand the shaking during an earthquake. City and state government officials use risk assessments to help plan and prepare for future earthquakes. Given the damage earthquakes can cause, it is important for scientists to learn as much as possible about earthquakes to try and reduce their impact on society. + After You Read --------------- Reread the statements at the beginning of the lesson. Fill in the After column with an A if you agree with the statement or a D if you disagree. Did you change your mind? sential 6 Natural Hazards Reading “HIS MATERIALS PROVIDED FOR INDIVIDUAL EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED OR FURTHER DISTRIBUTED