Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The features in this booklet originally appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle from Septem-
ber 12 to November 14, 2005, as part of that newspaper’s Chronicle in Education program—a
program to distribute newspapers free to classroom teachers and encourage their use as a
curriculum resource. For information go to:
http://www.subscriber-services.com/sfchron/nie/Edulndex.asp
or call 1-800-499-5700 extension 6828
Contributions by:
Matthew d’Alessio, Mehmet Çelebi, Eric Geist, Russell Graymer, Jeanne Hardebeck,
Thomas Holzer, Jessica Murray, Ann Rosenthal, John Solum, Heidi Stenner
Newspaper activities by:
Elizabeth Coleman (San Francisco Chronicle)
Edited by:
Matthew d’Alessio, Mary Lou Zoback, and nearly two dozen members of the U.S. Geological
Survey’s Earthquake Hazards Team
Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply
endorsement of the U.S. Government.
Cataloging-in-publication data are on file with the Library of Congress (URL http://www.loc.gov/).
P. Patrick Leahy
iv
Contents
[The articles in the series correlate with the State of California
Science Content Standards, as noted in brackets]
Articles*
Feature 1 The Earthquake Machine: What 1906 taught us about how earthquakes work ............1
By Matthew d’Alessio
[Grade 6, Sc. 1—Major geologic events, such as earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, and mountain building, result from plate motions.]
Feature 5 When will the next big one hit? How do we know? ............................................................5
By Matthew d’Alessio
[Grade 6, Sc. 1—Major geologic events, such as earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, and mountain building, result from plate motions.]
*All articles are written by scientists and focus on the evidence we collect during our work. They therefore directly
address the important “Investigation and Experiment” California State Science Content Standard for all grade levels:
Grade 4, Sc. 6, Grade 5, Sc. 6, Grade 6, Sc. 7, Grade 7, Sc. 7, Grade 8, Sc. 9, Grades 9 – 12, Science Investigation:
Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a
basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should
develop their own questions and perform investigations.
vi
A Series of Ten Short Articles for Students, Teachers, and Families 1
Earthquake Science—Feature 1 of 10
The Earthquake Machine:
What 1906 taught us about how
earthquakes work
On April 18, 1906, the moved near the fault, the tectonic plates are in
earth moved. Not only did surveyors also discovered constant motion. This plate
the ground shake on the day that much of northern motion is Reid’s missing
of the Great San Francisco California had moved and cause of strain.
earthquake, but land on both distorted during the earth- Two plates can get stuck
sides of the San Andreas quake. The movement together where they meet (at
fault permanently shifted. followed a pattern with most faults), but forces deep
Precise measurements of the of the motion near the fault within the earth drag and
amount of motion led and less motion far away. pull the plates in different
scientists to discover why At the time, nobody knew directions. Faults remain
earthquakes happen. what caused earthquakes. stuck together for many
Fences across the San The survey measurements years as the nearby crust
Andreas fault ripped apart, led a scientist named H. F. deforms and stretches, but
and it was no longer clear Reid to propose one possible eventually the strain is too
who owned the land nearby. explanation. He hypoth- much and the two plates
Surveyors went to mountain esized that strain built up in shift suddenly in an earth-
peaks to relocate the property the earth’s crust like the quake.
boundaries. While the fences stretching of a rubber band. Today, scientists monitor
showed that ground had At some point, the earth the buildup of strain near
would have to snap in an locked faults using satellite
earthquake. The problem observations, and the pattern
was that Reid didn’t know is much like Reid hypoth-
what caused the strain to esized 100 years ago.
build up.
Scientists continued to
survey after the earthquake
and saw that motion contin- By Dr. Matthew d’Alessio
ued throughout California,
providing an important piece U.S. Geological Survey
Fence after 1906 earthquake. of evidence that the Earth’s Earthquake Hazards Team
Plate tectonics: The cycle of earthquakes continues because plates motions continue.
Fault
A new fence is built Over many years, plate An earthquake is a sudden
straight across the fault motions cause strain to burst of motion that relieves
at the boundary between build up and deform the the strain and causes
two plates. earth (and fence). shaking.
Resources: Demonstrate the earthquake cycle in your classroom (animations & “The Earthquake
Machine”): http://quake.usgs.gov/research/deformation/modeling/teaching/
Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country, a special insert in The Sunday Chronicle, Sept. 18, 2005,
contains information about making your family safer in the next quake. Also online at:
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/2005/15/
Newspaper Activity: Land features can change
naturally over time, or more rapidly during an
event such as an earthquake. Read and summa-
rize an article in today's Chronicle that discusses
natural or man-made changes in the land.
2 Earthquake Science Explained
Earthquake Science—Feature 2 of 10
Seismograms:
Earthquake Fingerprints
Earthquake Science—Feature 3 of 10
Resources: Visit the San Andreas Fault: Newspaper Activity: Using the Bay Area
A Geology Fieldtrip Guidebook To map on today's Weather Page, look for
Selected Stops On Public Lands, features that could indicate a fault. Which
http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1127/ cities are closest to these features? Which
bodies of water?
Earthquake Science—Feature 4 of 10
Looking into the Past
With Earthquake Trenches
SEDIMENT
LAYERS
LAYERS
Earthquake Science—Feature 5 of 10
When will the next big one hit?
How do we know?
Plate tectonics causes Scientists have made is like having one leg of a
stress to build up in the hypotheses about several table break – if the objects
Bay Area, which will ways faults might signal on the table are too heavy
eventually be released by that they are about to for the remaining three legs
an earthquake. By measur- rupture. For example, faults to support, another leg will
ing the rate of stress buildup might start moving very eventually snap under the
and the largest stress that slowly before they lurch stress. This is why
the Earth can sustain, we violently in a big earthquake aftershocks occur after a
can predict how many – a lot like a car starting up large earthquake. Scientists
earthquakes will occur at a stoplight. This slow have detected patterns in
during a decade. If we could start could take place over a aftershocks and can now
predict exactly when one whole year or a fraction of a predict how many large
will occur, people could be second. So far, it looks like aftershocks there will be.
better prepared for the the earth starts slipping too This information helped
disaster. But does the earth quickly to give us any San Francisco decide how
give any warning signs that warning, but it's possible many firefighters to keep
an earthquake is coming? If that our instruments aren't on duty during the days
it does, we could record sensitive enough to detect after the 1989 earthquake.
those signals on scientific this motion. Sometimes an aftershock
instruments. Scientists have success- can even be bigger than the
fully observed one type of first earthquake. When a
warning sign that helps small earthquake occurs,
them predict earthquakes – scientists predict the odds
Map from other earthquakes. Some- that the earthquake is a
Sept. 30, 2005
times, one earthquake can warning sign that a larger
trigger another one. earthquake will hit soon.
Imagine that an earthquake These odds are based on
the earthquake's magnitude
and the seismic history of
What's the probability
the fault on which it
of an earthquake occurred. If the chance is
happening large enough, the govern-
today? ment issues a warning.
There are lots of unan-
An earthquake swered questions, and we
is more likely to are always looking for new,
happen in the creative ways to measure
dark areas. what the Earth is doing.
Earthquake Science—Feature 6 of 10
Liquefaction—
When the ground flows
After the 1989 Loma were built on wet sand flowed down hill slopes
Prieta earthquake, a layers. This sand had been and snapped buried water
fireman on Treasure Island deposited not long ago pipes. With so many water
(in the middle of San either by rivers and creeks pipes broken, firefighters
Francisco Bay) told me his or by humans making new in San Francisco did not
earthquake experience. He land by dumping sand into have enough water to
saw water spurting out of water bodies. Normally douse the fire. It raged out
the ground from many such sandy soil provides of control for three days.
places, and his greatest fear excellent support for Firefighters even blasted
during the earthquake was buildings, but earthquake buildings with dynamite to
that he might drown. shaking jiggles the sand try to form fire breaks.
As I listened, I was think- and squeezes the water Today, many neighbor-
ing how ironic this was. trapped between the grains hoods around San Francisco
Only a few miles away in so much that the layer Bay are built on sandy soils.
San Francisco, the same begins to act like a muddy Geologists are busy
natural phenomenon that liquid. We call this process mapping soil types to
triggered the spurting water liquefaction. identify areas that might be
in the 1989 earthquake In 1989, the fireman on at risk for liquefaction.
contributed to the fire that Treasure Island witnessed They push probes more
burned about 500 city one effect of liquefaction, than 100 feet down into the
blocks in San Francisco as muddy water spurted soil, measuring how the
after the 1906 earthquake. from the ground like the probes slide into the earth.
In both 1989 and 1906, violent squeezing of a This tells them how much
buildings and streets had sponge. In 1906, the sand is present and how
lots of damage where they liquefied sandy soils firmly it is packed together.
Engineers and planners can
use this information to
make our community safer
for the next time an earth-
quake shakes the Bay Area.
Earthquake Science—Feature 7 of 10
Earthquake Science—Feature 8 of 10
An Earthquake Scientist in
Action: Jessica Murray
I’m a geophysicist mountains or broken by
working with the Earth- faults like the San Andreas.
quake Hazards Team at the I also knew that I wanted to
U.S. Geological Survey in do scientific investigations
Menlo Park. Although my that were important for
father is a geologist, I society in general – not just
didn’t know I wanted to other geologists.
become an earth scientist For those reasons I chose
until I took an introductory to attend graduate school to
geology course in college. study a branch of geophys-
I was fascinated with ics called “crustal deforma- but are specialized for
understanding how differ- tion.” I learned to make scientific applications. We
ent types of rocks are and use measurements that can tell exactly where a
formed and change through tell us how the Earth’s crust location on Earth is to
various processes, is distorted, or deformed, within about half the
especially the tectonic around faults and volca- diameter of a dime.
forces that cause earth- noes. With this informa- A great thing about being
quakes. tion we can determine an earth scientist is the
As an earth science where strain is building that opportunity to travel all
major in college I took may be released in an over the world to investigate
courses in many different earthquake, or recognize unique geological features. I
aspects of geology. When I that a volcano is inflating get to work in a wide range
graduated I knew I wanted and may erupt soon. of environments. Many of
to pursue a career in the One of the ways we us do “field work” at least
field, but wasn’t sure in monitor the slow move- part of the year. This
what to specialize. I did ment of the Earth’s surface involves going to different
know that my favorite is with Global Positioning locations, like near a fault or
courses had been about System (GPS) instruments. a volcano, and making
“structural geology” which These instruments are measurements or taking
is the way in which rocks similar to what people use samples.
are slowly folded to form while camping or boating, For me, the best part is
that I know the work I do
will help us better under-
Precise measure- stand the earthquake cycle
ments using this and the hazards from large
GPS instrument help earthquakes.
Dr. Jessica Murray
monitor the motion By Dr. Jessica Murray
of active faults.
U.S. Geological Survey
Earthquake Hazards Team
Newspaper Activity: Dr. Murray describes why she is a geophysicist and what a
geophysicist does. Look through today's Chronicle for articles mentioning different
jobs and classified job listings for jobs that you might like to have. Write a paragraph
about each of the jobs that interest you.
Related Resources:
http://www.earthscienceworld.org/careers/
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/4kids/become.html
http://education.usgs.gov/common/careers.htm
A Series of Ten Short Articles for Students, Teachers, and Families 9
Earthquake Science—Feature 9 of 10
Earthquake Science—Feature 10 of 10
Our
Classroom
W E
S
10 meters
GeoSleuth 100 km
Murder 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
MMI Shaking Intensity
Mystery