Earthquakes :: essays research papers

Earthquakes Earthquakes occur almost everyday all over the world. approximately of the time primingquakes be not strong enough to be matt-up by people, but the shaking caused by an earthquake can be recorded by a seismometer. These machines are located all over the world to ensure detection of earthquakes of all strengths. Only occasionally pass on a larger magnitude earthquake strike and cause scathe to the region. There are many picks around the world and depending on where these fractures are plays a major factor in determining where an earthquake provide occur. It is these faults that are the reason for earthquakes. The information seismologists know about past earthquakes and earthquakes in general give them a limited ability to generally bid when and where earthquakes are going to occur. An earthquake is the shaking of Earths summon caused by rapid movement of the earths rocky outer(prenominal) layer. Earthquakes occur when tension stored in rocks suddenly release s (Vogt 12). Faults occur at these places where rocks on either side of the train have moved. Oceans are very commons places for major tectonic plates to shift. When two plates separate, new nauticalic crust is do near the fault as magma rises and eventually sets on the sea floor. If the plates on either side of the fault continue to spread then the ocean slowly becomes larger in width. This is called seafloor spreading. Mid-ocean ridges are characterized by a crack like valley at the fault. This crack like valley is caused by the tension pulling the plates apart, causing normal faulting to occur a chassis of times in the divergent boundary. Shevchik 2The most common role of fault is a normal or dip-slip fault. These occur when two blocks of earth are thrust toward each other, causing one to ride up over the other (Britt 1). The hanging bulwark moves downward relative to the footwall (Tarbuck 244). A reverse fault is the opposite of a normal fault. The hanging wall moves upwa rd relative to the footwall (Tarbuck 244). A very powerful type of fault is the strike-slip fault that occurs when two plates slide past one another. The San Andreas Fault in California is a very good example of this type of fault. A great deal of damage is done when any type of fault shakes the soil under structures in a low-lying, waterlogged areas, causing liquefaction. Liquefaction occurs when an earthquake shakes the wet, sandy soil near a body of water.