Earthquake Data in the Earthquake

ToolboxBy: Tommy Sheppard

Map

Initial List of Earthquakes

• Western America

• Chile

• Algeria

• Spain

• Japan

• Antarctica

• Philippines

• Alaska

• Southern Europe

• Haiti

Some places that are “overdue” for an

earthquake are California, because it is next to an

active fault line. Another place is China, they are next to Japan and could

feel some of the aftershock from Japan’s

earthquake.

Ten Places Where Earthquakes May Strike

(Modified)• California

• Chile

• Alaska

• China

• Italy

• Philippines

• India

• Japan

• Mexico

• Haiti

Today, scientists use many tools to help them

better predict earthquakes. They use Infrared Radiation (IR)

satellites to find seismic waves. They also use

satellites to find magnetic waves which

help them predict earthquake activity.

Explanation• California: The map shows that it is next to a very “earthquake active”

North American fault line. This area is also very common to natural disasters, being next to the Pacific Ocean.

• Chile: This country pretty much runs along the majority of a fault line where earthquakes are really common. In the past ten years there have been nine earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.0 or higher.

• Alaska: In the southmost part of Alaska, there have been many earthquakes in the past year. Also, the border or Africa lies on a convergent boundary.

• China: Since China is very close to Japan, I think that China may feel some of the aftershock from the earthquake in Japan. In the past year, there have been many earthquakes in the middle of the country, not just the border.

• Italy: It lies on a convergent boundary. In the past year, there have been some earthquakes, some being significant.

Explanation cont.• Philippines: All around this country there are tons of earthquakes. In

the future, The Philippines will most definitely experience earthquakes.

• India: There haven’t been many in a while. India lies on a convergent boundary where they are at risk for earthquakes to strike.

• Japan: Japan could very easily feel some aftershock after the huge earthquake that just occurred. These aftershocks could very easily be very dangerous.

• Mexico: They are very prone to earthquakes, the past year, there have been many earthquakes and the past few years there have been many significant earthquakes.

• Haiti: About 12 months ago, Haiti was struck with an enormous earthquake. They may be prone to experiencing another big earthquake.

What have you learned about Earthquakes and Earthquake

Prediction?I have learned a lot about earthquakes and earthquake prediction. The first thing that I learned is that there are actually thousands of earthquakes every year. I used to think that there was only a few. I learned that earthquakes can be predicted by the past. Some places have had many earthquakes in the past, leading to the conclusion that earthquakes may occur in certain areas.

What Factors Influence Earthquake Prediction?

Throughout this project, I have learned a lot about the factors of predicting earthquakes. There are some factors that help predict when an earthquake occurs and the size of it. One is by looking at the Excel spreadsheet and seeing all of the earthquakes that have occurred in the past year. Information regarding the significant earthquakes helps predict when and where significant earthquakes may occur. For example, someone could have looked at a map that I have but with information from a month earlier and could have predicted that an earthquake in Japan may strike. Another way to help predict where and earthquake may strike is by looking at fault lines and noticing whether the fault line is active with earthquakes in the past.

Where on Earth do most of the really big earthquakes

strike?According to my map, most of the really big earthquakes occur along the Eurasian fault line and along the South American fault line. According to the map, tons of earthquakes have happened here. An example of earthquakes in the Eurasian Plate Boundary is the disastrous Earthquake in Japan.