Earthquakes and Faults

Study Notes

Earthquakes and Faults

Earthquake: Rapid release of energy causing Earth's vibration, and ground shaking from fault movement.
Fault: Crack in Earth's crust with rock movement along it.
Fault Types: Reverse, normal, strike-slip, oblique.
Elastic Rebound Theory: Explains energy storage and release causing fault movement.
Active Faults: Show earthquake activity within the past 10,000 years.
Inactive Faults: Show no recent earthquake activity.
Fault Movement Effects: Strong ground motion, landslides, rockfalls, ground ruptures.
Focus (Hypocenter): Point inside Earth where seismic waves originate.
Epicenter: Location on Earth's surface above the focus.
Shallow-Focus Earthquakes: Occur within 100 km of the surface; more destructive.
Deep-Focus Earthquakes: Rare, less than 3% of earthquakes.
Earthquake Hazards: Tsunamis from underwater fault movements.

Seismic Waves and Earth's Layers

Seismic Waves: Energy from the focus causing earthquakes; used to study Earth's interior.
Body Waves: Travel through Earth's interior.
- P-Waves: Fastest, travel through solids, liquids, and gases.
- S-Waves: Slower, travel only through solids.
Surface Waves: Travel along Earth's surface.
- Love Waves: Horizontal ground motion, damages building foundations.
- Rayleigh Waves: Ripple-like motion, similar to ocean waves.
Wave Travel Insights: P-wave velocity decreases in liquids. S-waves do not pass through the outer core (liquid).

Typhoons and Weather Phenomena

Tropical Cyclones: Systems of thunderstorms with spiral clouds.
- Types: Typhoons (Northwest Pacific), Hurricanes (North Atlantic/Eastern Pacific), Cyclones (Indian Ocean/Bay of Bengal).
Typhoon Impacts: Strong winds, heavy rain, floods, landslides, storm surges, tornadoes.
PAR (Philippine Area of Responsibility): Region monitored by PAGASA for typhoons.
Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ): Area near the equator where trade winds meet, forming cyclones.
Storm Surge: Abnormal sea-level rise from tropical cyclones.
Typhoon Tracking: 5-7 day predictions of movement and strength.
Factors Weakening Cyclones: Land interaction (e.g., Sierra Madre), cold water.
Public Storm Warning Signals: Alerts about incoming disturbances.

Solar System and Celestial Objects

Comets: "Dirty snowballs" of ice, dust, and metals. Develop tails near the sun (gas and dust pushed by solar wind).
- Origins: Kuiper Belt (short-period comets), Oort Cloud (long-period comets).
Asteroids: Minor planets originating from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Meteoroids, Meteors, Meteorites:
- Meteoroid: Space debris.
- Meteor: Streak of light from a meteoroid burning up in the atmosphere.
- Meteorite: Meteoroid surviving and hitting Earth.
- Fireballs: Bright meteors; exploding fireballs called bolides.

Description

Explore the fascinating world of earthquakes and faults in this quiz. Learn about the types of faults, the mechanics of fault movement, and the effects of seismic waves on Earth. Test your knowledge on earthquake hazards and the theory behind these natural phenomena.