Class lectures available
http://geology.uprm.edu/cavosie.html
World Lithospheric Plates
Source: After W. Hamilton, U.S. Geological Survey.
Source: http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/caribbean/background.htmli
North American Plate
Caribbean Plate
Source: http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/caribbean/background.html
Source: http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/caribbean/background.html
Tectonic plates ‘drift’ over a ‘mantle plume’
Hot Spot VolcanismHot Spot Volcanism
Hot spot volcanism: tracking moving plates
Hot spot volcanism: tracking moving plates
Midway Island (Pacific Plate)
~ 25 Million years old, 2700 km from Hawaii
2700 km/25 Ma
At what rate is the Pacific plate moving?
Plate Tectonics and the Rock Plate Tectonics and the Rock CycleCycle
• What drives plate tectonics?
• Rock Formation at Plate Boundaries
Mantle Convection
Different rocks form in different environments
Source: http://www.gly.fsu.edu/~salters/GLY1000/Chapter4/Chapter4_index.html
OverviewOverview
• Earthquakes–Basic Theory• Seismic Waves and Earthquake Severity• Earthquake–Related Hazards and Their
Reduction• Earthquake Prediction and Forecasting• Earthquake Control?
– Awareness, Public Response
• Further Thoughts on Modern and Future U.S. Earthquakes
Source: http://www.gly.fsu.edu/~salters/GLY1000/Chapter4/Chapter4_index.html
SeismicSeismic WavesWaves andand EarthquakeEarthquake SeveritySeverity
• Locations faults occur
• Types of Faults
• Seismic Waves
• Locating the Epicenter
• Magnitude and Intensity
Source: http://www.gly.fsu.edu/~salters/GLY1000/Chapter4/Chapter4_index.html
Earthquake–Related Hazards Earthquake–Related Hazards and Their Reductionand Their Reduction
• Ground Motion (shaking)– Influenced by bedrock vs. sediments
• Ground Failure (landslides, liquefaction)
• Tsunamis and Coastal Effects
• Fire
Ground Shaking — Loma Prieta Earthquake
Source: R.A. Page et. al., Goals, Opportunities, and Priorities for the USGS Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1079, p. 7.
Hollow Clay Brick Walls in Iran
Source:Photograph by M. Mehrain, Dames and Moore, courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey.
Timber-Frame Buildings in Turkey
Source:Photograph by Roger Bilham, courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey.
Landslide from Seattle Earthquake, 1965
Source:Photograph courtesy University of California at Berkeley/NOAA.
Effects of Soil Liquefaction, Japanese Quakes (Nigata), 1964
Source:Photograph courtesy of National Geophysical Data Center.
Sand Boils after Loma Prieta Earthquake
Source:Photograph by J. Tinsley, from U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 89-687.
Collapse of I-880 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake
Source:Photograph by D. Keefer, from U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 89-687.
Marina District Damage from Loma Prieta Quake
Source:Photograph by M. Bennette, from U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 89-687
Tsunami Damage in Kodiak, Alaska
Source:Photograph courtesy of National Geophysical Data Center.
Tsunami Travel Times to Hawaii
Source: After U.S. Geological Survey.
Earthquake Prediction and Earthquake Prediction and ForecastingForecasting
• Seismic Gaps
• Earthquake Precursors and Prediction
• Current Status of Earthquake Prediction
• The Earthquake Cycle and Forecasting
California Earthquake Probabilities Map
Source: After U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1079, fig, 15, p. 29.
Parkfield, CA: USGS Prediction of Earthquakes
Source: Data from U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1079.
Prediction: 1988 ± 5 years
The “Earthquake Cycle” Concept
Source: After U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1079, fig 6, p. 15.
Earthquake Control?Earthquake Control?
• Releasing the energy: is it possible?
• Observations: Denver, CO (1960’s)
• Fluid Injection to allow smaller slip
Waste Disposal Correlated with Quakes in Denver
Source: Adapted from David M. Evans, “Man-Made Earthquakes in Denver,” Geotimes, 10(9):11-18, May/June 1966. Used by permission.
Earthquake: Public ResponseEarthquake: Public Response
Freeway Damage — 1971 CA Earthquake
Source:Photograph by E.V. Leyendecker, courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey.
Freeway Damage — 1994 CA Earthquake
Source:Photograph by M. Celebi, courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey.
Further Thoughts on Modern and Future U.S. Earthquakes
• Areas of Widely Recognized Risk
• Other Potential Problem Areas
U.S. Seismic-Risk Map
Source: Photo courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey National Seismic Hazard Mapping Project.
Seismic Waves Propagation
Source: After U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1240-B.
Zones of Mercalli Intensity from Charleston Quake
Source:Data from U.S. Geological Survey.
Earthquake Scrapbook
Pancake-Style Collapse — 1985 Mexico City Quake
Source:Photograph by M. Celebi, USGS Photo Library, Denver, CO.
Mission district — San Francisco Earthquake, 1906
Source:Photograph by G.K. Gilbert, courtesy U.S. Geological Survey.
Source: http://www.gly.fsu.edu/~salters/GLY1000/Chapter4/Chapter4_index.html
Fourth Ave Landslide — Anchorage, Alaska, 1964
Source:Photograph courtesy USGS Photo Library, Denver, CO.
Wreckage of Gov’t Hill School, Anchorage, 1964
Source:Photograph courtesy USGS Photo Library, Denver, CO.
Damage from 1886 Charleston, SC Earthquake
Source: Photograph by J.K. Hillers, USGS Photo Library, Denver, CO.