Where would Shaking be greater in an earthquake?

Seismic waves travel faster through hard rock than through softer rock and sediments like soil and sand. But as the waves pass from harder to softer rocks, they slow and their strength increases, so shaking is more intense where the ground is softer.

When an earthquake occurs where would you expect to have the greater damage and more shaking of the ground near the epicenter or away from the epicenter?

Surface damage In most earthquakes, the epicenter is the point where the greatest damage takes place, but the length of the subsurface fault rupture may indeed be a long one, and damage can be spread on the surface across the entire rupture zone.

When an earthquake occurs where would the intensity be higher near the epicenter or away from the epicenter?

The focus is point inside the earth where the earthquake started, sometimes called the hypocenter, and the point on the surface of the earth directly above the focus is called the epicenter. The intensity is generally higher near the epicenter.

What will happen when the focus of an earthquake is near the epicenter?

The focus is the place inside Earth’s crust where an earthquake originates. The point on the Earth’s surface directly above the focus is the epicenter. When energy is released at the focus, seismic waves travel outward from that point in all directions.

What is earthquake shaking?

Magnitude is a measurement of the energy produced by an earthquake and is not a measure of the shaking you feel. What you feel is very complex – hard or gentle, long or short, jerky or rolling – and is not describable with one number.

How does an earthquake shake the earth?

The energy radiates outward from the fault in all directions in the form of seismic waves like ripples on a pond. The seismic waves shake the earth as they move through it, and when the waves reach the earth’s surface, they shake the ground and anything on it, like our houses and us!

Where is earthquake damage generally the greatest?

The world’s greatest earthquake belt, the circum-Pacific seismic belt, is found along the rim of the Pacific Ocean, where about 81 percent of our planet’s largest earthquakes occur. It has earned the nickname “Ring of Fire”.

How are earthquakes distributed on the map?

Earthquakes are distributed along the fault lines, which means at the edge of tectonic plates. On a map showing tectonic plates, earthquakes will be distributed along the lines on the map. Earthquakes occur most commonly where the gigantic tectonic plates that form the Earth’s crust meet and rub together.

What is intensity in earthquake?

Intensity: The severity of earthquake shaking is assessed using a descriptive scale – the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. Magnitude: Earthquake size is a quantitative measure of the size of the earthquake at its source. The Richter Magnitude Scale measures the amount of seismic energy released by an earthquake.

Where do most earthquakes occur in the Philippines?

The largest or most notable Philippine earthquakes per year since 2001. As for the repeated entries, Moro Gulf near the Cotabato Trench is a seismically active area (the location of the devastating 1918 Celebes Sea earthquake and 1976 Moro Gulf earthquake).

Why does the earth shake when there is an earthquake?

The tectonic plates are always slowly moving, but they get stuck at their edges due to friction. When the stress on the edge overcomes the friction, there is an earthquake that releases energy in waves that travel through the earth’s crust and cause the shaking that we feel.

Where does earthquake happen?

Over 90\% of earthquakes – including almost all of the largest and most destructive ones – happen at or near so-called plate boundaries, where the 15 or so major subdivisions (“plates”) of the Earth’s crust and uppermost mantle move towards, alongside, or away from each other.

What is the epicenter of an earthquake called?

The epicenter is the spot on the earth’s surface directly above the location where the earthquake begins. For earthquakes with a moment magnitude* of about 6.5 or below, the entire earthquake takes place in a concentrated area directly below the epicenter.

Where do earthquakes occur on the Earth?

Earthquakes occur in the crust or upper mantle, which ranges from the earth’s surface to about 800 kilometers deep (about 500 miles). The strength of shaking from an earthquake diminishes with increasing distance from the earthquake’s source,…

Why do earthquakes occur when tectonic plates move?

The tectonic plates are always slowly moving, but they get stuck at their edges due to friction. When the stress on the edge overcomes the friction, there is an earthquake that releases energy in waves that travel through the earth’s crust and cause the shaking that we feel.

Where is the intensity of an earthquake strongest?

The answer depends on the details of the disturbance at depth causing the earthquake. If the quake is shallow, < 5 km in depth, then the intensity is strongest right over the epicenter.