Earthquake Web quest

Made By: Olivia Lawley and

Anna Mattern

How many original “supercontinents” did Wegner’s

theory of continental drift assume? There was only

one, the supercontinent called “Pangaea”.

It consisted on all today’s continents.

Pangaea was completely connected about 225 million years ago

What are the major plates that effect the Untied States?

The major plates that effect the United States are Gorda Plate, North American Plate and the Pacific Plate.

The Pacific Plate meets the North American plate on the west coast of the United States

That is why there is so many earthquakes there

Why do you think California has so may earthquakes but Florida doesn’t?

California1. It’s chance of

damage and shaking strength ranges from a low of 6-8 in some areas but, on the coast a high of 32+.

2. Also, California is built right on a plate boundary.

Florida 1. It’s chance of

damage and shaking strength ranges from 0-2.

2. The 0-2 range is the lowest hazard a place can have.

In what hazard zone is my home in?

The hazard zone my home is in is the 2-4 zone.

This means that we might encounter a few minor earthquakes but nothing as severe as California.

In Southern Illinois, they might encounter more severe earthquakes then Central Illinois because their hazard zone ranges from 4-24.

What is considered to be the most destructive earthquake in history? When did it occur, where was it, what was it’s magnitude, and how many people died?

The most destructive earthquake in history was in Sumatra

Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia

It is the largest island in Indonesia

It occurred on December 26, 2004

Its had the magnitude of 9.1

227,898 people died because of this earthquake

What are the three basic types of plate boundaries?

Convergent BoundaryDivergent Boundary Transform Boundary

Convergent Boundary

A convergent boundary is a plate boundary where two plates move towards each other.

This is usually where mountains form

Divergent Boundary

A divergent boundary is a plate boundary where two plates move away from each other

Magma rises and new rocks are usually formed

Transform Boundary

A transform boundary is a plate boundary where two plates move past each other in opposite directions

Earthquakes happen frequently along these boundaries

What are Tsunamis?

Tsunamis are ocean waves that move at aircraft speed

They are also known as tidal waves even though they have nothing to do with tides

What causes Tsunamis and how fast do they travel?

Tsunamis are caused by earthquakes that occur underwater

They travel at speed near 500mph

Tsunami Stats A tidal wave can be

up to 1,000 feet tall

Waves can be formed anytime without warning

They can sweep a heavy truck right off the ground

What are the two types of energy waves created by an earthquake and how do they differ? Which wave travels

faster?

There are two different types of energy waves:

Primary Waves (shown on top) are similar to a slinky and move in compressional motions

Secondary Waves (shown on bottom) are more like a rope and move in a sheen motion perpendicular to the direction the wave is traveling

Primary waves are faster

How much more energy is released by a 7.2 earthquake than by a 6.2 earthquake?

32 times more energy is released by an 7.2 earthquake than a 6.2 earthquake

The destructive power of an earthquake is best indicated by the energy released

What applications does seismology have besides measuring the magnitude and location of earthquakes?

Seismology also provides a means to monitor for nuclear explosions used to test and build weapons

Using modern global seismology has led to replacing old ideas of the Earth’s interior

Where did most of the earthquakes happen last week?

There were several earthquake scattered in Alaska, along the West Coast (including California, and parts of Oregon and Washington)

Other minor earthquakes occurred in Montana, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Georgia and the southern tip of Missouri

A lot of earthquakes happened along boundaries of states including the Montana and Idaho boundary, the Nebraska and South Dakota boundary, and the Maine and New Hampshire boundary.

Can scientists predict earthquakes?

No, they have tried many things but it’s unlikely they ever will

They know where all the fault lines are located but, when predicting exactly where and when it will happen scientists have very little hope

How do scientists know where an earthquake actually occurred?

They use as much data collected from seismograph stations as possible

Seismograph stations are buildings that have machines that help track earthquake waves (shown on left)

Earthquake Footage

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