Assignment 10: Earthquakes and Earthquake Hazards

Introduction 

Earthquakes occur because of the sudden release of stored energy. This energy has built up over long periods of time as a result of tectonic forces within the earth. Most earthquakes take place along faults in the upper 25 miles of the earth's surface when one side rapidly moves relative to the other side of the fault. This sudden motion causes shock waves (seismic waves) to radiate from their point of origin called the focus and travel through the earth. It is these seismic waves that can produce ground motion which people call an earthquake. Each year there are thousands of earthquakes that can be felt by people and over one million that are strong enough to be recorded by instruments. Strong seismic waves can cause great local damage and they can travel large distances. But even weaker seismic waves can travel far and can be detected by sensitive scientific instruments called seismographs.

Directions: 

1) This assignment is designed to assist you in learning the concepts of this module as well as assess your understanding and application of the content. 

2) This assignment has no time limit for completion and does not have to be completed in one sitting. Please do not click "Submit Assignment" until you have completed it. 

3) This assignment must be completed by the due date assigned or the course late policy will be applied. 

4) To begin this assignment, click the "Take the Quiz" button below.