EPSC 201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Plate Tectonics, Types Of Volcanic Eruptions, Elastic Energy
7 Feb 2016
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Document Summary
The energy released by atomic explosions, large landslides or by volcanic eruptions can produce an earthquake, but the sudden movement along faults is the cause of most earthquakes. Failures are when stress is applied to rock. Stress deforms the rock (called strain) and when the strength of the rock is exceeded, it is called a fault. Earth shaking is caused by a rapid release of energy, most of which is due to tectonic forces. More than a million detectable earthquakes per year. Most earthquakes result from tectonic plate motion. Seismicity occurs due to: sudden motion along a newly formed crustal fault, sudden slip along an existing fault, a sudden change in mineral structure, movement of magma in a volcano, volcanic eruption, giant landslides, meteorite impacts, nuclear detonations. But fault slips are the most common causes. The hypocenter (or focus center) is the location where the fault slip occurs, usually on a flat surface.
