My Science Space » Earthquakes

Tectonic Review

Mr. G — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:14:04 +0000

Looking for a fast (sort of fast) review for tomorrows test? Here are a couple of PowerPoint presentations for chapters 8, 9 and 10 from our textbook.

Volcanoes

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Plate Tectonics

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Earthquakes Chapt8

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Massive 8.3 Ocean Earthquake

Mr. G — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:33:29 +0000

Today’s South Pacific earthquake is an example of Earth’s interacting spheres. The heat from within the Earth powered the magnitude 8.3 quake whose epicenter was 21 miles below the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The shifting of Earth’s crust resulted in a tsunami killing 23 people on surrounding islands.

Here’s an excerpt from Discovery News about today’s quake.

Sept. 29, 2009 — A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of up to 8.3 struck off the South Pacific island nation of Samoa on Tuesday, triggering a tsunami as coastal residents fled to higher ground.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves 1.57 meters (five feet) tall hit American Samoa, while 0.7 meter waves were recorded in Samoa.

The center had earlier issued a tsunami warning for a large swathe of the South Pacific including Fiji, New Zealand and Tonga after the U.S. Geological Survey reported a 7.9 magnitude quake.

The center later said an 8.3 magnitude quake had been recorded at a depth of 33 kilometers (21 miles). It was not immediately clear if this was the same quake and the USGS’s website did not provide exact details of its location.

“Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated,” said a statement from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

WATCH VIDEO: Learn more about the Pacific Coast’s tsunami warning system.

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“It may have been destructive along coasts neat the earthquake epicenter and could alo be a threat to more distant coasts. Authorities should take appropriate action in response to this possibility.”

Mt Redoubt Ready to Erupt?

Mr. G — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 01:14:53 +0000

I know we are looking into space right now, recording images of the Moon and watching Venus, but lets take a quick look back at Terra Firma.

Remember how we said that earthquake activity can signal a possible volcanic eruption? Well scientist have recently noticed an increase in seismic activity around Mt Reboubt in Alaska.

A little hard to read but here is an image from the seismograph. Click on the image to get a larger view.

I’m sure many of you do not know where Mt Redoubt is located so here’s a map.

Thinking About Earthquakes and Volcanoes?

Mr. G — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 02:00:24 +0000

Sounds like Friday’s video got people wondering. That’s good! But let’s go from just wondering, to thinking and researching. What can you find out? What resources have you found? Let’s become scientists, scientists look for answers!

What do scientists do?

Mr. G — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 00:41:00 +0000

Well, in this picture, it looks like they hang out in a room with a bunch of equipment, drink coffee and talk. But on closer investigation students are getting an introduction to the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network, an earthquake monitoring facility at the University of Washington. Click on the picture to take a tour of the facility and learn more about earthquakes.

Earthquakes happen all around the world, much more frequently than most people imagine. But because Earthquakes vary in strength (what we call magnitude) with most doing little to no damage, we tend not to pay much attention. Just to be on the safe side click here to see where the most recent earthquakes are occurring.