13 Oct 2022

62

How to Evaluate an Earthquake

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Academic level: College

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Words: 885

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How many earthquakes are listed on this map? 

There are 364 earthquakes listed on the map. 

How many earthquakes are over 6.0 over the week? 

There were only two earthquakes that occurred during the week that had a magnitude of over 6.0. 

How many between 4.5 and 6.0 over the week? 

The number of earthquakes that occurred during the current week that had a magnitude between 4.5 and 6.0 is 78. 

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Where was the largest? 

The largest earthquake occurred on 2 nd Dec 2018 at 02:26:32 (UTC) 48 km north of Bristol Island, South Sandwich Island. The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1 and a depth of 164.7 km (USGS, 2018). 

What country outside the U.S. or its territories had the most earthquakes during this time? Provide details. 

New Caledonia is the country outside the United States that had numerous earthquakes this week. As indicated on the map, the region has recorded 13 earthquakes over the week. The highest recorded is M 5.7 200km to the ESE of Tadine. Majority of these earthquakes occurred to the ESE of Tadine. 

Where was the most recent earthquake over 4.5? What magnitude was it ? 4.6 How deep was it? Is this shallow, intermediate, or deep? Explain the type of plate boundary it was near. Why are earthquakes common to this area? 

The most recent earthquake that had a magnitude of over 4.5 is the one that occurred 45 km south west of Jarm, Afghanistan. The earthquake happened on 13 th Dec 2018 at 15:44:29 (UTC) and had a magnitude of 4.6 and depth of 200.2 km. This earthquake is an intermediate earthquake. According to the USGS (2018), shocks that have a depth of between 0-70km are classified as shallow earthquakes, intermediate earthquakes have a depth ranging between 70, and 300km and earthquakes that have a depth between 300 and 700 are classified as deep earthquakes (USGS, 2018). 

Earthquakes are frequent in this region because the country is situated near the southern extent of the Eurasian plate. Seismicity in the Himalaya dominantly is caused by the collision of India and Eurasia plates. These plates are relatively converging at the rate of 40-50 mm per year. Northward under-thrusting of India underneath Eurasia results in several earthquakes and also makes Jarm, Afghanistan, prone to earthquakes. 

Where was the deepest earthquake during the week? 602.1 km, it was recorded 253 km SE Latung, Philippines. M 4.4. On what type of boundary was this? 

During the week, the deepest earthquake was the one that occurred 253km southeast of Latung, Philippines. The earthquake was recorded on 10 th Dec 2018 at 03:00:30 (UTC) and has a magnitude of 4.4 and depth of 602.1km (USGS, 2018). The boundary associated with the earthquake is the Philippine Sea Plate. The regions nearby the Philippine Sea Plate are very active in generating many earthquakes, volcanic activity, and tsunamis. 

Where was the most recent earthquake closest to you? Include the name of the city and state you reside in (or country if outside of the United States). Was it associated with a boundary? 

I reside in Niagara Falls, New York. The most recent earthquake that is closest to the place I reside is the earthquake that occurred 4km to the west of Blaine, Tennessee. The earthquake was recorded on 13 th Dec 2018 and had a magnitude of 2.7 and a depth of 4.8km. The region is prone to smaller earthquakes. This is because the state is situated along two fault lines, the East Tennessee seismic zone and the New Madrid fault line in West Tennessee. The East Tennessee seismic zone extends from South Western Virginia into North Eastern Alabama. The New Madrid Seismic Zone extends from North Eastern Arkansas into West Tennessee, Western Kentucky, South-eastern Missouri, and Southern Illinois. Though the known fault line in this region is ancient as well as inactive, the zone is one of the most active seismic areas in the United States with numerous earthquakes occurring throughout the year. 

Was there any relationship between the plate boundary where the largest, most numerous and deepest earthquakes occurred? Based on your knowledge of earthquakes, is this what you would have expected from that type of boundary (is)? Be sure to explain your answer fully. 

The plate boundaries where the largest, most numerous, and the deepest earthquake occurred are very active. The earthquakes happened along the edges of tectonic plates. Due to the relative motion of these plates, these regions are prone to earthquakes every year. Considering that the fault line or plate boundaries are active, I would have expected these types of earthquakes to occur. This is because the largest, most numerous, and deepest earthquakes occur in regions where the fault lines are active, and also the rate of relative motion between the plate boundaries is high. 

Using a map of the plate boundary types, which type of boundary has the most earthquakes on this list? 

From the map, most of the earthquake in the list are associated with divergent plate boundary. At divergent plate boundaries, the plates move against each other. For instance, the western coastline of the US lies along a long boundary of major tectonic plates, the ocean plates and the North America plates to the west. Due to the relative movement of this plate, the crust breaks up along the numerous faults located in the region such as the San Andreas Fault. These faults associated with divergent boundaries are very active. 

Put the settings on 7 days, magnitude 4.5+ US. Find a region where there is a high concentration of earthquakes. New Caledonia What country (ies) are nearby? What type of boundary are the quakes on? 

After changing the settings to 7 days magnitude 4.5+ US. The region that had the highest concentration of earthquakes is New Caledonia. As seen on the map, many earthquakes occurred in the state compared to others regions. The countries that are near New Caledonia include; Australia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji Islands. The earthquakes are as a result of the shallow strike-slip faulting near the complex boundary between the Pacific plate and the Austrian plate. At the location of the earthquake, the regional plate boundary is transitional. 

References 

USGS. (2018). Determining the Depth of an Earthquake. [Online]. Available at: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/topics/determining_depth.php . Accessed 14 th Dec 2018. 

USGS. (2018). Determining the Depth of an Earthquake. [Online]. Available at: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/#%7B%22autoUpdate%22%3A%5B%22autoUpdate%22%5D%2C%22basemap%22%3A%22grayscale%22%2C%22feed%22%3A%227day_m25%22%2C%22listFormat%22%3A%22default%22%2C%22mapposition%22%3A%5B%5B-89.99942252250133%2C-760.78125%5D%2C%5B89.9994365234117%2C-222.18749999999997%5D%5D%2C%22overlays%22%3A%5B%22plates%22%5D%2C%22restrictListToMap%22%3A%5B%22restrictListToMap%22%5D%2C%22search%22%3Anull%2C%22sort%22%3A%22newest%22%2C%22timezone%22%3A%22utc%22%2C%22viewModes%22%3A%5B%22list%22%2C%22map%22%2C%22settings%22%5D%2C%22event%22%3Anull%7D . Accessed 14 th Dec 2018. 

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StudyBounty. (2023, September 15). How to Evaluate an Earthquake.
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