Earthquake distribution

Adam Smith

Many earthquakes happen around plate boundaries, mainly convergent boundary types

Major earthquakes are more present in South America and the Philippines than earthquakes in 2010

Convergent plate boundaries are associated with larger earthquakes

100 miles- ≈47.63% of all major earthquakes

200 miles- ≈71.52% of all major earthquakes

1. The Philippines2. Pacific Northwest3. South America4. New Zealand5. Japan6. Indonesia7. Alaska8. The Mediterranean9. Burma10. Lesser Antilles (in the Caribbean)

The Philippines - It is a prime region for a major earthquake because of its lack of earthquakes in recent years

Pacific Northwest – This area is known for major earthquakes, and earthquakes here are even more potent because it is near a convergent boundary

South America – The three largest earthquakes in the world have occurred here

New Zealand – It had a recent earthquake, and there is a lack of earthquakes in the past year

Japan – A major earthquake just hit here and is historically, a earthquake hotspot

Indonesia – Huge earthquakes occur here and a major earthquake hit around 2004

Alaska – Earthquakes here are not as well known, but consistent earthquakes over 7 occur here

The Mediterranean – it lacks earthquakes in recent years

Burma – A major earthquake happened historically and is affected by the same plates as Indonesia

Lesser Antilles (in the Caribbean) – Last year, a major earthquake occurred here and is a historic earthquake hotspot

As more data is known from major earthquakes, data plots can be determined

From these data points, correlations can be made to specify which areas are a main target for earthquakes

What have you learned about earthquakes and earthquake prediction? – Areas that have not many earthquakes in recent years are more likely to have a major earthquake such as Haiti (in the Caribbean) and Japan

What factors influence earthquake prediction? - Areas that are near plate boundaries are more likely to experience an earthquake, but locations with convergent or transform boundaries are more likely to experience an earthquake that are large

Where on Earth do most of the really big earthquakes strike? – Earthquakes that are near convergent boundaries usually experience the largest earthquakes