Objectives
Did you feel that? While you might not have felt the 3.8 earthquake that occurred about 20 miles east south east of Kokomo at around 7:55 AM on December 30, 2010, you might have felt the 5.2 earthquake that occurred about 125 miles southwest of Indianapolis at 4:36 AM on April 18, 2008. Many Indiana residents were shaken awake! One IUPUI student said he woke up but just assumed it was his cat jumping on the bed. Many people here in Indianapolis felt the aftershocks later that day. Click on the image for a "shake-map" of this quake. (The links in this box are not required reading.)
This section will help you to:
- explain how earth material folds or faults;
- describe the relationship of earthquakes to faulting and folding;
- explain the earthquake cycle and how it relates to plate tectonics;
- define the type of earthquake waves, their properties, and how ground motion is produced;
- understand what causes earthquake damage;
- describe the effect of different earth materials to the movement of earthquake waves and the resulting effect on damage to human structures;
- list and describe the major effects of earthquakes;
- describe how earthquakes are measured and the difference between magnitude and intensity as it relates to earthquake measurement scales;
- indicate geologically where earthquakes occur and where on Earth the major risks are;
- explain how human society can increase earthquake risk and relate overpopulation to the hazards presented by earthquakes;
- identify causes of earthquake risk in Indiana and discuss potential hazards of earthquakes in Indiana;
- relate case studies of major earthquakes to principles and terms; and
- distinguish potential earthquake hazards in human society and explain how these hazards vary based on a country’s economic wealth.
If you would like a guide to help you to achieve these learning objectives for this module, please click here for an “Objective Guide.”
