1) Earthquakes occur along fault lines where tectonic plates meet. Scientists can rate earthquake strength on the Richter scale but predicting exact timing remains difficult. 2) Strain builds up over time at plate boundaries until suddenly releasing energy in an earthquake. Factors like past earthquake history, satellite imaging of ground changes, and seismograph readings help scientists predict general locations and timing of future quakes. 3) Major earthquakes tend to strike where tectonic plates meet, such as along western North and South America and islands off East Asia.

1. Earthquake
Exploration
By: Delaney Ryan

2. 2010, Last Year (Map #1)

3. Map #2 with buffer lines
The thick, yellow lines symbolize
convergent boundaries and the
green dots represent big
earthquakes.

4. Map #3 Big Earthquakes

5. What have you learned about earthquakes and
earthquake prediction?
Earthquakes are classified by a scale called the Richter scale, which
ranges from 0-10 where 0 being the weakest and 10 the strongest. With
this, scientists can rate the earthquake, but they are also learning how
to predict one. The happening of earthquakes on Earth is not a
random act of movement. Earth is made up of plates that are moving
frequently. Usually earthquakes accumulate along these plate
boundaries. It is easy for scientists predict when an earthquake strikes,
but predicting when, can be difficult. In the next section we talk about
what factors contribute to good predicted earthquake estimates.

6. What have you learned about earthquakes and earthquake
prediction? (continued…)
Since Earth is always moving,
shifting and constantly being
pushed and pulled, much strain
can be built up over time. We
have learned that earthquakes
occur when strain has built up
over a period of time is suddenly
released. When this happens the
crust begins to shake and
tremble, this movement is
commonly referred to as an
earthquake. In some cases
earthquakes can cause damage
to cities and towns and even
take lives, but depending upon
the earthquake's strength and
the location of the scene,
earthquakes can be harmless or
barley even felt by people.

7. What factors influence earthquake prediction?
There are many different factors involved with earthquake
prediction, one being the study of past events. Scientists will study
the earthquake’s intensity is a specific place in order to help them
predict what the next earthquake will be like that hits that
location. Scientists would have been able to figure out the exact
time of when an earthquake hits but due the very deep earth
crust, they are unable too. However, they can use more factors to
get them to a very close prediction
Can lead too

8. What factors influence earthquake prediction?
(continued…)
Satellites are a more recent tool that scientists are using, with
satellites scientists can see changes in ground motion as well as
determining where areas of high strain are building up.
Earthquakes can be spotted sometimes when ground
temperature rapidly increases. Scientists can get the information
by looking at infrared radiation which shares information on
ground temperature. Seismographs are another factor in
earthquake prediction, they tell scientists about ground
movement along seismic waves. From past earthquakes too deep
into the ocean and as far out as space, it all comes together to
create a scientific earthquake prediction.

9. Where on Earth do most of the really big earthquakes strike?
Earthquakes in general happen along oceanic and
continental plates and unusually big earthquakes happen
on the same plates but the amount of stress and strain
can contribute to a bigger (or smaller) outcome. Some
examples of places that get bigger earthquakes are;
Western North America, Western South America and
islands off the coast of East Asia.

10. Top 10 areas

11. Area 1: (Alaska, southern) I chose this area because I
noticed that many earthquakes have occurred there in the
past year, leading to foreshocks and eventually and possibly
a big earthquake.
Area 2: (California, Western North America) I chose this
area because California is a more common place where
earthquakes big and small occur.
Area 3: (Mexico, Northern Latin America) I chose this area
because it gets so many earth quakes each year.
Area 4: (Chile, Western South America) The area was
chosen because it is an area with not only a lot of
earthquakes in general but the area also contains many
BIG earthquakes as well.

12. Area 5: (Ice Land, in Pacific Ocean) I picked this area because
it lies right on the pacific boundary and gets frequent
earthquakes mostly small but occasionally bigger.
Area 6: ( Southeastern Africa) This area was chosen because
although it doesn’t look like there are many earthquakes in the
area there actually are, they are just very spread out within the
area.
Area 7: (Above Africa) I chose this area because it is another
area where there are MANY earthquakes clustered together
and these could have been foreshocks leading up to a big
earthquake that could happen soon.

13. Area 8: ( Saudi Arabia) I chose this area due to the excessive
amounts of earthquakes this location gets, but most of the
earthquakes are just small.
Area 9: ( Southern/Central Asia) This location gets many
earthquakes and some of them are small but it also has a
mixture of larger ones as well.
Area 10: (Japan/Eastern islands off the coast of Asia) I chose
this area because there are many earthquakes big and small
here, also Japan just had a Huge 9.0 magnitude earthquake
probably caused by foreshocks.

14. Bibliography
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richter_magnitude_scale
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interferometric_synthetic_aperture_rad
ar
 http://serc.carleton.edu/eet/earthquakes2/case_study.html
 http://www.geerassociation.org/GEER_Post%20EQ%20Reports/Bhuj_
2001/india_photo.htm
 http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/49745/diagram-of-earthquake-
illustration/
 http://www.stanford.edu/group/radar/group.html
 http://denali.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci_hi/sci_hi_12_01/dec01.html
 http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/interior/plate_tectonics.ht
ml
 http://www.visionlearning.com/library/module_viewer.php?mid=10
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