Name:_______________________________________________ Section:______________________Date:___________
Earthquake & Faults (Active & Inactive Faults)
Earthquakes are natural events that can happen anytime and anywhere. Understanding what causes them
and how to stay safe is important for protecting ourselves and others. Today, we will explore what earthquakes
are, why they happen, and how we can prepare for them.
Activity 1: Decode the Hidden Words
Below is a set of scrambled words related to our lesson. Unscramble each word and write the correct
term in the space provided. After unscrambling all the words, research or recall their meanings.
_ _ _ _ _ 1. UAFLT- A crack in the Earth's crust where earthquakes often occur due to the movement of
tectonic plates.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2. TIGADENUM- The measurement of an earthquake’s strength or energy release.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3. ETRAHAUEKQ- a sudden and violent shaking of the ground caused by the movement of
the tectonic plates beneath the earth.
So What is an Earthquake?
Have you ever seen how a wave moves in water?
Or how does a sports crowd ‘wave’ in a stadium? Waves
travel by passing energy from one point to another. The
rocks beneath the Earth's surface are constantly pushed
and pulled by strong forces. Just like how force makes
objects move, these forces also affect the Earth’s crust.
When the stress on the rocks becomes too much, they
break and suddenly slip along faults. This sudden
movement releases stored energy, which causes the
ground to shake. We call this an earthquake. The energy
from an earthquake does not stay in one place. Instead, it
spreads through the Earth in the form of vibrations called
seismic waves. These waves travel through solid and
liquid materials, shaking the ground as they move.
The point of origin of seismic waves is called the focus,
or hypocenter. On the other hand, the epicenter is
located on the Earth's surface directly above the focus.
The waves spread radially from the focus as energy
moves from one particle to another. The fault plane is
the surface that slips during an earthquake.
Activity 2: Label Me!
Look at the given figure carefully. Identify the different
parts shown in the diagram. Write the correct labels in the
provided spaces.
● Epicenter
● Focus
● Seismic waves
● Fault plane
1. What do you see in the picture?
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2. How does this concept help us understand earthquakes better?
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Did you know?
An Earthquake can be caused by the sudden movement along faults and plate boundaries, or even by
volcanic eruptions. They are classified into tectonic earthquakes and volcanic earthquakes.
Tectonic Earthquake - an earthquake caused by the movement of faults and plate boundaries.
Volcanic Earthquake - an earthquake triggered by the rising magma or lava within a volcano.
Earth's solid and rigid outer layer is not whole, but consists of huge pieces called tectonic plates.
Boundaries between tectonic plates are made up of a system of faults. A fault is a break or crack in the Earth's
crust where rocks move due to tectonic forces. These movements happen when tectonic plates push, pull, or
slide against each other. This brings us to the two types of faults: active faults and inactive faults. Let’s explore
what makes them different! A fault is considered active if there is evidence that it has moved one or more times
in the last 10,000 years and may move again in the future. Examples of active faults in the Philippines are the
segments of Philippine Fault Zone, Valley Fault System and Casiguran Fault. A fault is classified as
inactive if it is a fracture that has not experienced any geologic activity in the last 10,000 years. Examples of
inactive faults in the Philippines are the segments of Masbate Fault and Eastern Mindanao Fault.