Earthquake Data in the Earth Toolbox 

By: Jalen Zeman

Top Ten Earthquake Hit List

Earthquakes Last Year

Significant Earthquakes

10. Western America

This area is on my Top Ten Earthquake Hit List because it is on one of the biggest faults in the world. The San Andreas fault causes many earthquakes to occur. This fault is one of the most active in the world.

9. Latin America

This area is on my Top Ten Earthquake Hit List because it lies right on the Caribbean-Atlantic-South American-North American-Pacific plate boundaries. Places such of Haiti and been greatly affected by this. It was rocked with a gigantic earthquake that killed millions of people. I think that the are definitely susceptible to another one somewhere in the future.

8. Alaska

This area is on my Top Ten Earthquake Hit List because it has had major earthquakes in the past. The 1964 earthquake of Alaska majorly affected south-central Alaska. This area is also on the Ring of Fire.

7. South-East Asia/Europe

This area is on my Top Ten Earthquake Hit List because this area lies on the Eurasian-African boundary. The boundary is known to grind against each other. Many earthquakes here have terrorized people and have cost millions of dollars of property damage.

6. China

This area is on my Top Ten Earthquake Hit List because China is prone to earthquakes. Some of the earliest earthquakes have been recorded there. They have destroyed some of the ancient great relics of the land.

5. Oceana

This area is on my Top Ten Earthquake Hit List because this area is on a convergent boundary that it shares with the pacific plate. Many tsunamis have came from earthquakes in the ocean. Some islands have formed these plates colliding.

4. East China Sea

This area is on my Top Ten Earthquake Hit List because this area has a gigantic rift going through the boundary. The surrounding land masses have been devastated by tsunamis.

3. Japan

This area is on my Top Ten Earthquake Hit List because this area is covered with earthquakes. The recent earthquake in Japan has occurred by result of the plates colliding. These have caused millions of dollars in big cities such as Tokyo.

2. Indonesia

This area is on my Top Ten Earthquake Hit List because this place is littered with earthquakes. There have been many earthquakes in the last year which leads me to believe that there could be another big one coming.

1. South America

I think this area is on the Top Ten Earthquake Hit List because the Nazca plate has been putting a lot of pressure on the South American plate. Places like Chile have been greatly affected by these colossal earthquakes.

Modified Top Ten Earthquake Hit List

First List Modified List

10. Western America 10. Oceana

9. Latin America 9. South America

8. Alaska 8. East China Sea

7. South-East Asia/Europe 7. Alaska

6. China 6. South-East Asia/Europe

5. Oceana 5. Japan

4. East China Sea 4. Indonesia

3. Japan 3. East China Sea

2. Indonesia 2. Latin America

1. South America 1. North America

Places That Are Over Due

I think this boundary on the Eurasian-North American plate is over due because this boundary is a convergent boundary and hasn't had many earthquakes. I think a mass of energy has been building up and a huge earthquake will happen.

What new tools or techniques are seismologists using to help them better predict earthquakes?

inSAR: Satellite radar takes images of tectonic areas and combined to detect changes in ground.

Infrared (IR) radiation: This tool is used to detect surface temperature. Ground temperatures in some regions can be around -15o C. Before quakes, sensors can detected temperature changes as most as 6o to 9o.

Some scientists put rocks under extreme pressure and measure the infrared radiation from the rock as shown in the picture.

Questions

What have you learned about earthquakes and earthquake prediction?o I have learned that it is very difficult to predict

earthquakes because they occur at random times. I have also learned that scientists are trying to come up with ways to predict them so they can protect people. What I find is interesting is that earthquakes can happen miles beneath the crust and barely move an inch, yet cause so much damage that it is indescribable.

What factors influence earthquake prediction?o Factors that influence earthquake predictions are

the location of the epicenter, the time and magnitude of the earthquake. Also, if there were foreshocks and if there were aftershocks.

Where on Earth do most of the really big earthquakes strike?o Most really big earthquakes strike nearby plate

boundary lines. This is because they are more susceptible to movement in the crust which cause earthquakes. It is very rare for a major earthquake to occur on a plate, but they can still happen. The closer they are to the boundary, the more damaging the earthquake will be.

As you can see, most of the earthquakes in the U.S. are near the North American-Pacific plate boundary.

More Questions

What do you notice about the distribution of these earthquakes?o The distribution of earthquakes correlates with the tectonic

plates boundaries. Also, it correlates with being on the land or near the land.

How does the distribution of these earthquakes compare to the others?o Earthquakes tend to be located in places where tectonic plates

are convergent, instead of diverging. What type of plate boundary is associated with

earthquakes that have a magnitude of 7.0 or greater?o The plate boundary that is associated with earthquakes that

have a magnitude of 7.0 or greater are plate boundaries that are convergent boundaries.

Predictions

Based on my results of my analyses and the research I have conducted, the one place from my Top Ten Earthquake Hit List that I predicted will be the most likely place on Earth to experience the next earthquake is somewhere along the Pacific-North/South American plate boundaries.

I think this because there are many earthquakes that have happened last year. I think they could be a sign that they are foreshocks and a huge earthquake is coming.

Bibliography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake

www.esri.orghttp://serc.carleton.edu/eet/earthquakes2/

index.htmlhttp://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/e

qarchives/epichttp://science.nasa.gov/science-news/scie

nce-at-nasa/2003/11aug_earthquakes//