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| A science which objectively studies geologic information and applies it to contemporary environmental problems such as pollution, waste, management, natural hazards, etc. |
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| The shaking of the ground due to sudden movement of rock along a fault within the earth's crust |
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| Study of earthquakes, their causes, and their effects |
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| "We do not inherit the Earth from our parents; we borrow it from our children." |
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| Any entity with a combination of interconnected components |
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| A fundamental concept in geology which states that the present is the key to the past. In other words, the physical processes which govern the evolution of the landscape now have operated through time. |
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| Any geologic process or material that are harmful, hazardous, or costly to humans. |
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Events or processes, such as Earthquakes and Flash Floods, that strike
quickly with little warning (e.g., Earthquakes, Flash Flooding, local Tsunamis. |
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| Anthropogenic/Human Hazard |
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| Hazards that result from pollution and degradation of the environment. |
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| The unfavorable alteration of the environment by humans. |
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| Average Time between “Major” Events, such as Earthquakes or Floods. |
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| The destructive power of a Geologic Process or Hazard. |
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| Federal Emergency Management Agency |
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| Who urged Americans to have a “Land Ethic”? |
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Limited Resources
Human Needs
Waste. |
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| Our current environmental crisis is a convergence of what 3 entities/factors? |
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| What is the oldest "Environmental Organization" in the United States, who founded it, and when was it founded? |
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| The Sierra Club, John Muir, 1892 |
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| Exponential Population Growth |
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| A term which describes a population increase determined by a constant percentage increase (for example, 2%) of the current population. |
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| A system in which both energy and matter cross boundaries into other systems |
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| A system in which only energy crosses boundaries into other systems. |
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| What is the best approach to combat the Limitation of Resources that we have on Earth? |
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1)through the development and habitation of lands that are more susceptible to certain
geohazards (e.g., floodplains and deltas)
2) by increasing the magnitude or frequency of some natural hazards (e.g., increased erosion
due to poor agricultural practices or subsidence due to overwithdrawal of groundwater). |
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Definition
| How can human interaction in natural systems increase the vulnerability to some geohazards? |
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| Where, Frequency, Magnitude |
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| What are the 3 major steps for Hazard Assessment? |
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| The process of determining how to reduce or eliminate the loss of life and property damage resulting from natural and human-caused hazards |
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•Buying flood insurance to protect your belongings.
•Relocating or elevating structures out of floodplains.
•Securing shelves and water heaters to nearby walls.
•Developing, adopting, and enforcing effective building codes and standards.
•Engineering roads and bridges to withstand earthquakes.
•Using fire-retardant materials in new construction. |
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| What are some example of Hazard Mitigation? |
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Definition
| A fracture in the Earth’s crust along which movement occurs. |
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| Earthquake Focus/Hypocenter |
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Definition
Source area or point within Earth’s crust or upper mantle where the rock
breaks or ruptures. |
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| The point on the Earth’s surface directly above the EQ focus. |
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| Resistance of a large stationary mass to sudden movement. |
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| An earthquake is caused by a sudden slip on a fault. Stresses in the earth's outer layer push the sides of the fault together. Stress builds up and the rocks slips suddenly, releasing energy in waves that travel through the earth's crust and cause the shaking that we feel during an earthquake. An EQ occurs when plates grind and scrape against each other. |
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Definition
| What is an earthquake and what causes them to happen? |
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| Earthquakes occur on faults - strike-slip earthquakes occur on strike-slip faults, normal earthquakes occur on normal faults, and thrust earthquakes occur on thrust or reverse faults. When an earthquake occurs on one of these faults, the rock on one side of the fault slips with respect to the other. The fault surface can be vertical, horizontal, or at some angle to the surface of the earth. The slip direction can also be at any angle. |
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Definition
| What is the relationship between faults and earthquakes? What happens to a fault when an earthquake occurs? |
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Term
| An earthquake is caused by a sudden slip on a fault. Stresses in the earth's outer layer push the sides of the fault together. Stress builds up and the rocks slips suddenly, releasing energy in waves that travel through the earth's crust and cause the shaking that we feel during an earthquake. An EQ occurs when plates grind and scrape against each other. |
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Definition
| Briefly describe the relationship between type of fault, type of stress associated with each fault type, and type of plate boundary associated with each fault type. |
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| As a rock is deformed due to stress, it is continually storing elastic energy as it is bent and changed in shape. Once the rock is strained beyond its elastic limit, it ruptures and snaps back to a new unstrained position, releasing all of its stored energy in the form of EQ or seismic waves. |
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| Briefly describe how the Elastic Rebound Hypothesis/Theory explains the origin of shallow focus EQs. |
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with SEISMOGRAPHS. These make use of the Principle of
of Inertia, resistance of a large stationary mass to sudden movement. This is necessary because when an EQ occurs, everything shakes so a frame of reference is needed that is relatively vibration free in order to quantify the amount of vibrations.Thus, a large mass is suspended from a spring to detect vertical motion. When ground vibrates, spring expands and contracts, but mass remains almost stationary. Distance between the mass and ground is used to measure the vertical displacement of the ground surface. To detect horizontal motion, a heavy mass is suspended from a string, like a pendulum. Because of inertia, the mass does not keep up with horizontal motion of the ground and difference between the movement of the pendulum and the ground represents the horizontal ground motion. |
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Definition
| What instrument is used to detect and measure earthquakes, and how many of these instruments are needed at each location to fully describe all types or directions of ground motion during an earthquake? |
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| The global distribution of EQ epicenters defines the major plate boundaries |
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Definition
| What is the relationship between the distribution of earthquake epicenters and plate boundaries? |
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Definition
These tend to occur at shallow depths in rift valleys along oceanic ridges and
within plates. Rocks are weak and rupture very easily under tensional stress so most EQs along rift valleys are low in Magnitude; Normal Faulting is common. |
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| At Subduction Zone-type Convergent Boundaries only |
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Definition
| Tectonically, where do deep-focus earthquakes occur? |
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| Measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake. |
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| Determined from effects on people, human structures, and the natural environment. |
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| What descriptor is used for a magnitude >8 earthquake and how many happen annually? |
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| What descriptor is used for a magnitude 7-7.9 earthquake and how many happen annually? |
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| Anything associated with an earthquake that may affect the normal activities of people. This includes surface faulting, ground shaking, landslides, liquefaction, tectonic deformation, tsunamis, and seiches |
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| The probable building damage, and number of people that are expected to be hurt or killed if a likely earthquake on a particular fault occurs. |
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| Displacement that reaches the earth's surface during slip along a fault. Commonly occurs with shallow earthquakes, those with an epicenter less than 20 km. |
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| A term used to describe the vibration of the ground during an earthquake. |
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| The movement of the earth's surface from earthquakes or explosions. |
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| Smaller earthquakes that precede the large, main earthquake event. |
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| Earthquakes that occur after the main EQ Event along the same EQ-prone fault that produced the main EQ. |
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| A movement of surface material down a slope. |
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| A process by which water-saturated sediment temporarily loses strength and acts as a fluid, like when you wiggle your toes in the wet sand near the water at the beach. This effect can be caused by earthquake shaking. |
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| A sea wave of local or distant origin that results from large-scale seafloor displacements associated with large earthquakes, major submarine landslides, or exploding volcanic islands. |
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Strength of shaking.
Length of shaking.
Type of soil.
Type of building. |
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Definition
| What 4 factors or conditions determine the types and intensity of earthquake damage that result from earthquakes? |
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New Madrid, Missouri related to the Reelfoot Rift
and
Charleston, South Carolina – Exact causative mechanism unknown
and
Salt Lake City, Utah along the Wasatch Fault (normal fault) |
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Definition
| What two interior or intraplate areas within the USA are at risk of experiencing a Major or Great EQ in the future? |
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Term
Reservoir Induced Seismicity - Occur under large reservoir lakes as water seeps down thru fracture/fault systems below due to standing water pressure/stress. The water may also lubricate these zones of weakness.
Injection of Fluids into Deep Wells - Rocky Mountain Arsenal near Denver, CO - liquid
wastewater pumped under pressure lubricated and reduced friction and increased the pore-water pressure along inactive faults below.
Underground Nuclear Explosions.
Mining - Mining leaves voids that can alter the balance of forces in the rock,
Triggering earthquakes.
Fossil fuel extraction
Subsidence caused by fossil fuel (oil and/or natural gas) extraction can trigger earthquakes. |
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Definition
| How have human activities triggered earthquakes? Have these EQs been destructive? |
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| Can earthquakes be predicted, or forecasted? |
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| Location, Magnitude, and Date/Time |
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Definition
| What are the main criteria that must be satisfied for a successful earthquake prediction? |
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| 4 – USA, China, Japan, and Russia/former USSR |
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| How many countries have government-sponsored earthquake prediction programs? What are they? |
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| A section of a fault that has produced earthquakes in the past but is now quiet. |
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| Show specific types of hazards for different areas due to differences in ground conditions and proximity to known EQ-prone faults. whereas |
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| Show zones of maximum and minimum EQ Intensities but give no information pertaining to EQ frequency. |
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| A wave train or series of waves generated in a body of water by an impulsive disturbance that vertically displaces the water column or by the transfer of momentum to the ocean water. |
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| The maximum water level achieved by a tsunami once it hits the shore. |
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| The total area flooded with water as a result of tsunami moving onshore |
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| Areas that are prone to high run-ups due to shoreline configuration and offshore topography. |
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| Any EQ that generates a tsunami. |
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Earthquakes below the Ocean Floor
Explosive Eruptions of Marine Volcanoes
Landslides (Coastal or Submarine)
Meteorite Impact
Iceberg Collapse
Submarine Explosions |
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Definition
| All of the possible events that can generate a Tsunami and the mechanism by which each generates a tsunami. |
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Term
| A wave becomes a shallow-water wave when the ratio between the water depths and its wave length gets very small. |
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Definition
| What relationship defines when a wave becomes a “shallow water” wave? |
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| Wave Period in any Depth of Water ~ 10 to 60 minutes |
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Definition
| What is the typical wave period of a tsunami? |
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Definition
| What is the typical wave length of a tsunami? |
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| Wave Height = ~0.5 to 1 meter |
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Definition
| What is the typical height of a tsunami? |
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| In water Depth of 4000 Meters |
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Definition
| What is the typical depth of a tsunami? |
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| Wave Speed = ~700 Km/hour |
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Definition
| What is the typical speed of a tsunami? |
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| Run-up is greatly influenced by the nearshore water depth, by the tidal stage, by the configuration of the shoreline, by the geographic orientation of the shoreline, and by offshore topography. Damage is also affected by the orientation of a shoreline to tsunami approach: Perpendicular is worst. Offshore islands or coral reefs help attenuate tsunami. Tsunamis that hit at high tide are worse. |
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Definition
| What are local factors that can cause tsunami run-up to be higher than it otherwise would be? |
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Term
| Generation, Propagation, and Inundation |
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Definition
| What are the 3 phases of a Tsunami? |
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| Most Tsunamigenic Earthquakes are caused by vertical displacement of the ocean floor that occurs during EQs generated by sudden faulting under the ocean associated with oceanic subduction zone trenches. |
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Definition
| Describe the plate tectonic setting of most tsunamigenic earthquakes |
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