Earthquake

Terminologies
Earthquake Terminologies
● Earthquake
○ Is the shaking or trembling caused by the sudden release of energy, usually associated with
faulting or breaking rocks.
● Seismology
○ Is the study of earthquakes and the waves they create.
● Seismologist
○ Is a scientist who study and measure earthquakes to learn more about them and to use them for
geological discovery
● Seismograms
○ Are the recordings of the ground shaking at the specific location of the seismograph.
● Seismographs
○ Are recording instruments used to record the motion of the ground during an earthquake.
Earthquake Terminologies
● Focus, Origin, Center, or Hypocenter
○ Is the place of origin of the earthquake in the interior of the earth.
● Epicenter
○ Is the place on the earth’s surface, which lies directly above the center of the earthquake.
● Anticenter
○ Is the point on the earth’s surface diametrically opposite to the epicenter.
● Seismic Vertical
○ Is the imaginary line which joins the center and the epicenter. This represents the minimum
distance which the earthquake has to travel to reach the surface of the earth.
● Seismic Waves
○ Is the form of the transmitted energy released from the focus at the time of the earthquake.
Earthquake Terminologies
● Magnitude
○ Is proportional to the energy released by an earthquake at the focus. It is calculated from
earthquakes recorded by a seismograph. It is represented by Arabic Numbers (e.g., 4.8, 9.0)
● Intensity
○ Is the strength of an earthquake as perceived and felt by people in a certain locality. It is a
numerical rating based on the relative effects to people , objects, environment and structures in
the surrounding area. Represented by Roman Numerals.

In the Philippines the intensity of an earthquake is determined using PHIVOLCS

Earthquake Intensity Scale (PEIS):
https://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/index.php/earthquake/earthquake-intensity-scale
Classification of
Earthquakes
Earthquakes’ Classification
BASED ON THE DEPTH OF FOCUS

● Shallow Earthquakes
○ Earthquakes with a focus depth of less than 50 km
● Intermediate Earthquakes
○ Earthquakes with a focus depth of more than 50 km but less than 250 km
● Deep Earthquakes
○ Earthquakes with a focus depth of more than 250 km.

BASED ON THE CAUSE OF OCCURANCE

● Tectonic Earthquakes
○
Earthquakes’ Classification
BASED ON THE CAUSE OF OCCURRENCE

● Tectonic Earthquakes
○ Tectonic earthquakes are exclusively due to internal causes, i.e., due to disturbances or
adjustments of geological formations taking place in the earth’s interior.
● Non-Tectonic Earthquakes
○ The non-tectonic earthquakes, on the other hand, are generally due to external or surfacial
causes. Such earthquakes occur due to a variety of reasons, some of which are as follows:
■ sudden and major landslides
■ volcanic eruptions
■ man-made explosions
■ collapse of caves, tunnels, etc.
Causes of Earthquakes
Elastic Rebound Theory

- This gradual accumulation and release of stress and strain is now referred to as
the "elastic rebound theory" of earthquakes.
● Types of Fault
○ Normal Fault
■ The block above the fault moves down relative to the block below the fault.
○ Reverse Fault
■ The block above the fault moves up relative to the block below the fault
○ Strike-slip Fault
■ the movement of blocks along a fault is horizontal.
Causes of Earthquakes
Plate Tectonics

- Plate tectonics is the model or theory that we use to understand how our planet
works. More specifically it is a model that explains the origins of continents and
oceans, folded rocks and mountain ranges, igneous and metamorphic rocks,
earthquakes, etc.
- Certain parts of the globe suffer more earthquakes than others, and you will
have experienced at least a few minor tremors if you live in a high-risk area, like
most areas in the Philippines.
Detection and
Recording of
Earthquakes
Detection and Recording of Earthquakes
Seismic Waves are vibration generated by an earthquake, explosion, or similar
energetic source and propagated within the Earth

Types of Seismic Waves

1. Compressional Longitudinal Waves (P-waves)

- for primary because they are fastest

2. Shear Transverse Wave (S-wave)

- for secondary since they are slower

Note: A longitudinal or P-wave is faster than a transverse or S-wave

Detection and Recording of Earthquakes
Surface waves are very important since they propagate along the surface of the
Earth (where all the buildings and people are) and usually have much higher
amplitudes than the P-waves and S-waves. It is usually surface waves which knock
down buildings
Detection and Recording of Earthquakes
Detection and Recording of Earthquakes
Detection and Recording of Earthquakes
Locating Earthquakes

- The signals arrive first at the closest station and last at the one furthest away.
The time difference between the P- and S-waves tells us the distance the
earthquake is from the seismograph. By measuring the time difference at three
stations we can work out where the epicentre is.
- We need measurements from at least three stations to find the epicenter. The
intersection of the circles, whose radius is equivalent to the distance from the
earthquake, gives the epicenter.
Measurement of
Earthquakes
Earthquake Magnitude
- A number of methods for estimating magnitude are listed in the table. Local
magnitude (ML) was widely used until late in the 20th century, but moment
magnitude (MW) is now more commonly used because it gives more accurate
estimates (especially with larger earthquakes) and can be applied to
earthquakes at any distance from a seismometer.
- Surface-wave magnitudes can also be applied to measure distant large
earthquakes.
Earthquake Magnitude
Earthquake Intensity
Earthquake Intensity
Earthquake
Hazards
Ground Rupture
Deformation on the ground that
marks, the intersection of the
fault with the earth’s surface.

It has the following effects:

● Fissuring and displacement
of the ground due to
movement of the fault.
Ground Shaking
Disruptive up, down and sideways
vibration of the ground during an
earthquake.
It has the following effects:
● ground shaking may cause
damage or collapse of structure
● may consequently cause
hazards such as liquefaction
and landslide.
 Liquefaction
Phenomenon wherein sediments,
especially near bodies of water,
behave like liquid similar to a
quicksand. It has the following
effects:
● sinking and/ or tilting of
structure above it
● Sandboil
● fissuring.
 Earthquake-
induced Landslide
Down slope movement of rocks,
solid and other debris commonly
triggered by strong shaking. It
has the following effects:
● Erosion
● Burial and blockage of roads
and rivers.
 Tsunami
Series of waves caused commonly
by an earthquake under the sea.
It has the following effects:
● Flooding
● Coastal erosion
● Drowning of people and
damage to properties.