1. 6th Grade Earthquakes
Mrs. Akin

2. Earthquakes How does the energy of an earthquake travel through Earth?
What are the scales used to measure the strength of an earthquake?
How do Scientist locate the epicenter of an earthquake?
What are some very active and dangerous faults?

3. What is an Earthquake?
An earthquake is the shaking that results from sudden movement of rock along a fault.
A fault is a break or crack in Earth’s lithosphere along
which the rocks move.
The forces of plate
movement causes
the earthquakes;

4. Earthquakes
Focus—is the area beneath earth’s surface where rock that is under stress breaks, triggering an earthquake.
Epicenter—the point
on the surface directly
above the focus

5. Types of Seismic Waves
Seismic waves carry energy from an earthquake away from the focus, through Earth’s interior, and across the surface.

6. Seismic Waves
Seismic Waves – are the waves of energy caused by the sudden breaking of rock within the earth or an explosion. They are the energy that travels through the earth and is recorded on seismographs

7. Types of Seismic Waves There are two types of seismic waves:
A. Body waves
1. P waves
2. S waves
B. Surface waves

8. P waves Are Primary waves– The waves that come first.
They compress and expand the ground
They can damage buildings and move through solid and liquid.

9. S waves Secondary waves Vibrate from side to side
Shake the ground back and forth
They shake structures violently
Unlike P waves,
it can’t move
through liquids.

10. Surface Waves
When P and S waves reach the surface, they become surface waves
Surface waves are the most damaging

11. Measuring earthquakes
How are Earthquakes Magnitudes measured?
1. The Richter Scale
2. The Mercalli Scale

12. The Richter Scale
The Richter Scale assigns a magnitude number to an earthquake based on the size of the seismic waves.
It uses an instrument called a Seismograph that records and measures seismic waves.
It provides accurate measurement for small, nearby earthquakes, but doesn’t work well for large or distant
earthquakes

13. The Mercalli Scale
To rate according to the intensity or strength of the earthquake.
This scale isn’t considered as scientific as the Richter scale because this scale uses the observations of the people who experienced the earthquake to estimate its intensity.

14. Locating the Epicenter
Geologists use seismic waves to locate an earthquake’s epicenter.

15. The Seismograph
Seismic waves cause the seismograph’s drum to vibrate. But the suspended weight whit the pen attached moves very little. Therefore, the pen stays in place and records the drum’s vibrations.

16. Living in Georgia .