GEOLOGY MACC Bill Palmer
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Transcript of GEOLOGY MACC Bill Palmer
GEOLOGYMACC
Bill PalmerLecture 12
Earthquakes
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes Probably the most terrifying geologic event Occur suddenly, often without warning May last less than 5 minutes and cause tremendous
destruction Remember that Earthquakes create Tsunamis
TSUNAMI-Dec. 26, 2004
300,000 killed
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes Don’t damage the land very much but destroy the
built environment We cannot control or predict with accuracy Most powerful earthquake in lower 48 state
recorded history took place in Missouri
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes Measuring Earthquakes (Two different scales)
Richter ScaleA Measure of MAGNITUDE of an EarthquakeMeasured by instrumentsEach number is ten times larger than preceding numberA 5 is 10X greater than a 4A 7 is 1000X greater than a 4Largest measured are 9Damage to structures begins at 5.5
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes Measuring Earthquakes (Two different scales)
Mercalli Scale (handout provided) INTENSITYMeasures damages to the built environment I. Not felt II. Felt by most people III. Felt indoors; pictures swing IV. Heavier objects swing, fells like passing truckV. Felt outdoors, sleepers awake, doors swing open
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes Measuring Earthquakes (Two different scales)
Mercalli ScaleVI. Felt by all; Walk unsteady; plaster cracks; small
bells ringVII. Difficult to stand; chimneys breakVIII. Smokestacks fail; driving difficult; some walls
fail IX. Panic; Frames crack; underground pipes broken;
cracks in ground; bridges fail
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes Measuring Earthquakes (Two different scales)
Mercalli ScaleX. Many buildings fail; dams damaged; landslidesXI. Rails bent; underground pipelines failXII. Damage nearly total, large rock masses dispalced
objects thrown into air
(see handout for more details)
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes Focus and Epicenter
FOCUS-The exact place in the ground where the earthquake takes place
EPICENTER-The point on the earth’s surface directly above the focus.
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes
Focus and Epicenter
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes Finding the Epicenter Earthquakes produce three types of waves
P-Travel at the fastest speedS-Travel at medium speedL-Travel the slowest
These waves can be measured on a Seismograph and the distance from the seismograph determined
Using THREE seismographs the exact epicenter can be determined
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes
SeismographThe seismograph is basically a pendulum with moving paper beneath. Waves cause the pendulum to swing and the result is shown on paper
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes What Mercalli
rating would you
give each of the
earthquakes?
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes What Mercalli
rating would you
give each of the
earthquakes?
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes What Mercalli
rating would you
give each of the
earthquakes?
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes What Mercalli
rating would you
give each of the
earthquakes?
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes Some infamous
earthquakes-San Francisco 1906
3,000 dead 225,000 homeless 28,000 buildings
destroyed
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes Some infamous
earthquakes-San Francisco 1906
Richter = 7.8-8.0 Mercalli=8.0-9.0
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes Some infamous
earthquakes-San Francisco 1906
The damage from this earthquake was worsened by the fire that was caused when natural gas pipelines burst and caught fire.
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes Some infamous
earthquakes-Alaska 1964 Richter=9.2 Largest in North America Lasted 4 minutes 10,000 aftershocks Created 70 ft Tsunami
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes
Alaska-1964
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes Missouri 1811-1812 New Madrid Earthquake Felt over 50,000 square
miles Richter=8.0 Seismologist estimate
there is a 90% chance of a 7.0 or greater EQ in next 50 yrs
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes
Created Lakes-ReelfootBells Rang in PhiladelphiaBuildings in Savannah GA
crackedMississippi River course was
alteredNot many people in area so
loss of life and damages minimal
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes Comparison of the impact
of the New Madrid EQ to the 1906 San Francisco EQ.
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes Mercalli Impact-Columbia
is in V.
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes
12,000,000 people live in EQ zone-St. Louis, Memphis, Evansville, Louisville, Cape Girardeau
Same quake today could kill 100,000 and trillions of dollars of damage
PROBLEM-Minor quakes relieve pressure and prevent larger quakes. We need minor quakes!
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes
http://www.weather.com/images/maps/special/usa_earth_720x486.jpg
LINKS TO DAILY EARTHQUAKE REPORTS
http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/qed/
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes-Wrap ups
1. Define an Earthquake 2. What are the Focus and Epicenter? 3. How is the epicenter determined? 4. What is the Richter scale and what does it
measure? 5. What is the Mercalli scale and what does it
measure?
GEOLOGY-Earthquakes-Wrap ups 6. What are the characteristics of the 1906 San
Francisco EQ? 7. What are the characteristics of the 1964 Alaska
EQ? 8. What are the characteristics of the 1811-1812
New Madrid EQ? 9. What are the chances for a major EQ in MO? 10. Why should be be concerned everyday there is
not a major EQ in New Madrid?