Relationship between faults and earthquakes
Earthquake- It is the sudden shaking of the ground that we feel when rock layers suddenly split
past one another to a new position.
Faults- It is the fracture in the surface of the crust where the two blocks of rocks slip. Classified
into active and inactive.
Fault zone- a series of associated faults spread over an area
Stress- force applied to rocks. Has three types. Tensional, compressional, and shear.
1. Tensional- rocks are stretched away from each other
2. Compressional- rocks are pushed towards each other
3. Shear- rocks are pushed perpendicular to the axis.
Active Faults
Active faults are areas along which all shallow earthquakes occur. Tend to be most common at
the boundaries of tectonic plates.
Inactive Faults
Inactive faults are areas which had not displayed any seismic activity for more than thousands
of years. These faults may trigger bigger quakes which were already proven by geologists.
Creep- a slow type of fault
Trench- long narrow and usually steep sided depressions in the ocean floor formed in locations
where one tectonic plate subtucts under another, raising mountains, forming volcanoes, ad
causing earthquakes.
Philippine trench- deepest trench in the country
Philippine fault zone (PFZ)- is the most extensive fault system in the country. Is about 1200
km long
Central Mindanao fault- marked by break in slope between mountains of occidental mindoro
and oriental mindoro. This fault was associated with the 7.1 magnitude earthquake in 1994
which ruptures rhe northern segment of aglubang river fault.
Types of Faults
•Dip-Slip Fault: Normal Fault
The footwall moves up, hanging wall moves down. Due to tension forces or the pulling apart of
the rocks which moves the crust vertically apart. Occurs in a place that is relatively high or
elevated such as a plateau
•Dip-Slip Fault: Reverse/Thrust Fault
The footwall moves down, hanging wall moves up. Occurs along the coast of many regions near
the Pacific Ocean
•Strike-Slip Fault: Transform Fault
A special class of strike-slip faults formed between two different plates due to horizontal forces
moving the layers of rocks parallel to the fault plane. The seismologists believed that the more
violent earthquakes usually occur on these faults. San Andreas is the most famous transform
fault.
•OBLIQUE-SLIP FAULT
Horizontal and vertical movement. Combination of Normal / Reverse and Strike-slip faults
How Movements along Fault Lines generate Earthquakes
Earthquake originates somewhere between the crust and the mantle.
The asthenosphere (from Greek athenes, “weak” + sphere) consists of several semifluid
materials or partially molten rocks.
Diastrophism (from Greek diastrophe, “distortion”) is the process where the action of forces
forms the large-scale deformation of the earth’s surface through the mechanisms of rock
movements within the rocks. A fault is one of the effects of diastrophism.
Constructive forces- help change the structure of the Earth’s crust including volcanism and
earthquakes.
Destructive force- involves erosion and weathering.
Where an Earthquake Generally Occurs
•Earthquake belt – places where earthquakes are felt more often.
•Countries bordering the Pacific Ocean including the Philippines, Japan, China, Russia,
Indonesia, Mexico as well and Antarctica are mostly hit by earthquakes.
•Pacific Ring of Fire – constantly affected by earthquakes. An area where 75% of the world’s
dormant and active volcanoes are found. Nearly 90% of the world’s earthquakes and more than
80% of the world’s strongest earthquakes occur
•Places where human activities are done such as nuclear bomb testing, mining, and
underground explosions experience earthquakes as well.
Where?
Focus – where the seismic waves originate when rocks first move along the fault at a location
inside the Earth. Also known as bypocenter. Is located within fault plane.
Fault plane- a breaking surface underground. It is where movement takes place.
Fault line- is any edge of the fault plane that shows how much movement takes place.
Fault scarf- an exposed fault plane
Epicenter – is the location on Earth’s surface directly above the earthquake’s focus.
Earthquake scale
Richter Scale = Magnitude
Modified Mercalli Scale =
Intensity
PEIS- stands for Phivolcs Earthquake Intensity Scale. A measure of how an earthquake was felt
in a certain locality or area. Is based on the relative effect on people, structures, and objects in
the surroundings. Is represented by Roman numerals with intensity I being the weakest, and
intensity X the strongest. Is used since 1996. Replacing the Rossi Forel scale.
Measuring Earthquakes:
Seismograph – measures earthquakes. It detects and records the strength and duration of
vibrations. Composed of a seismometer and recording device, designed to be sensitive to
ground motions to record the weakest earthquakes.
Seismogram – the zigzag lines or the graph outputs in response to the ground notions into
electrical charges by its EM sensors which are then recorded by the instrument’s analog or
digital circuits.
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of waves created when water is moved very quickly.
Underwater earthquakes are the most common causes of tsunamis, but underwater
volcanic activity can also trigger a displacement in the water, and create a mega-
wave. It is a Japanese word meaning harbor wave. It is constituted with 2 syllables,
the Japanese language meaning harbor (tsu 津) and wave (nami 波)