Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region X – Northern Mindanao
Division of Iligan City
ACELO C. BADELLES SR. MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL
Tipanoy, Iligan City

CHAPTER 2 EARTHQUAKES

Seismology
 Greek word “seismos” which means “earthquake”
 The study of earthquakes and seismic waves that move through and around the earth

Seismic waves – vibrations generated by a sudden impulse in the earth such as earthquakes
Types:
1. Surface waves (along or near the earth’s surface)
a. Rayleigh waves
- John William Strutt and Lord Rayleigh
- Rolling up the ground like waves in oceans
b. Love waves
- Augustus Edward Hough Love
- Shakes the ground only in a horizontal manner
2. Body waves (earth’s interior)
a. P-waves
- Compressional wave because its pulling and pushing motion though rocks
b. S-waves
- Pass through solids and do not travel directly to the earth’s surface

Earthquake – shaking of the ground

 These are light shaking of ground that happen in the same site where a stronger earthquake
follows

Faults
1. Dip-slip fault
- It moves along the direction of the dip plane
- Downward movement on a sloping fault as the fault’s two sides move apart
2. Strike-slip fault
- Main movement of the blocks along this fault is horizontal
- Sideways motion: right-lateral (dextral), left-lateral (sinistral)
3. Oblique slip fault
- Both dip-slip and strike-slip fault motion happen

Classification of Earthquakes
1. Tectonic earthquake
- Abrupt movement of earth along faults
- Powerful earthquakes
2. Plutonic earthquake
- Deep focus, with depth of disturbance around 300 kilometers to 800 km
3. Volcanic earthquake
- Earthquake happens because of volcanic eruption

Classification according to its effects in the environment:

1. Magnitude
2. Intensity
Magnitude
 This measures the energy released by an earthquake and is assessed through
seismograph

Intensity
 Actual effects and damages made by an earthquake

Signs of Impending Earthquake

1. Animal behavior
2. Change in atmospheric conditions
3. Electromagnetic disturbance
4. Boom sound
Earthquake-related Hazards
1. Ground shaking
- Shaking of the ground is more intense when the site is near the epicenter and the
earthquake is strong
2. Liquefaction
- Soft and sandy soils can behave like a fluid
3. Surface rupture
- Offset of the ground surface when fault rupture extends to the earth’s surface
4. Tsunamis and seiches
- Huge series of waves generated by an earthquake
5. Sinkholes
- Collapse of the surface of the ground
6. Landslides and rock falls
- Cliffs and steep sloping areas tend to collapse
7. Subsidence and lateral spreading
- Subsidence: ground surface is lowered
- Lateral spreading: sloping ground goes downhill, opening cracks on the ground
8. Fire
- Knocked down power lines and broken gas lines

Earthquake Readiness

What to do during an earthquake?

What to do after an earthquake?