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24.10.17 earth science: earthquakes and tsunamis

Migration

As inplates progressmove forpast each other, they create fault lines (cracks)
Three types: slip faults (side to side) and transform (vertical) faults (normal-falling or thrusting-rising)

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The San Andreas Fault caused the 1906 quake, which moved 7 meters (22 feet) in one slip and devastated San Francisco:

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What the San Andreas Fault looks like from the air:

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Thrust (vertical) faults caused the Bali quake and tsunami: (look this up on youtube)

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Remember earthquake waves:
P and S waves: 

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P waves are faster than S waves:

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We can use this difference to calculate epicenter (surface location) and hypocenter (actual center under the surface):
Recall epidermis is your skin (epi=top, dermis = skin), a hypodermic needle goes under (hypo) your skin (dermis)

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AP exam question:
  • How much stronger is a magnitude 7 quake than a magnitude 6?
  • 7 to 5?
  • 7 to 4?
More on tsunamis: 
  • Nuuanu slide: Look up on Wikipedia, how big was the tsunami, where and when?
  • What is our biggest tsunami threat now?
  • Where did the 1946 and 1960 Hilo tsunamis come from?
  • Why is this important to you?

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Check this out:

  • Why would anyone living east of the interstate-5 corridor be concerned?
  • Look at the dates on this diagram:

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Historic data shows subduction zone quakes that would create a tsunami 1000' high or more on the Pacific northwest coast, flooding everything west of I-5.

Here's how we know what is going on to form the Andes:

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Look at all of the earthquakes (red dots) as the plate subducts
Two things to take-away about subduction zones:
1. subduction zones create ANDESITIC (pointy) volcanoes, which are high in silica, and sticky like thick pancake batter.
2. subduction zones create lots of deep-focus earthquakes.

Play time:

Click on some earthquakes and note the depth and the seismic image.

Key earth science points:

  • All elements up to Iron on the periodic table came from the big bang
  • Earth was formed from materials created by first generation stars going supernova
  • The core of the earth is made up of a rotating solid core surrounded by a liquid core
  • The inner core creates our magnetic field, which reverses periodically
  • Layers: crust-mantle-outer core-inner core
  • Uranium in the core produces heat that travels to the surface by convection
  • Tectonic plates on the surface move on top of the sticky asthenosphere because of this convection
  • Spreading zones are were these plates are created, subduction zones are where they dive under others
  • Subduction zones create trenches in the ocean and andesitic volcanoes (sticky lava, pointy cones)
  • Hot spots in the crust can create basaltic volcanic islands like the one we are on (runny lava, broad cones)
  • Earthquakes include P (primary, compression) waves and S (secondary, shear) waves
  • P waves are faster and go through solids and liquids, S waves only travel through solids


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