EARTHQUAKESBy Gabriella

WHERE THEY HAPPENEarthquakes happen along the rim of the pacific ocean, in a zone called The Pacific Ring of Fire. Another major earthquake zone is through Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Armenia. California is the most common in the united states. Any other places quakes are rare.

HOW OFTEN IT HAPPENS

Earthquakes happen a thousand times a year. They can happen at any time every year. Unlike tornados earthquakes don’t

have a season.

THE STRUCTURES AND FEATURES INVOLVED. The plates are a

feature of earthquakes and how they happen. earthquakes occur when the plates rub together.

The fault line is the crack in the ground ,when the plates shift they create a crack in the ground.

THE PLATESThe little white lines are where the plates are.

WHAT USUALLY HAPPENS When an earthquake occurs the

ground shakes and the plates shift. The plates shifting creates a crack in the ground that is called a fault line. The earthquake can cause a lot of damage and a huge fault line that can open up and swallow many homes and people.

THE FAULT LINEThis on the left is the San Andreas Fault in California

THE MOST EXTREME CONDITIONS The most extreme conditions is a 10

on the Richter scale and really high in the damage level. Extreme conditions include houses breaking, and water pipe bursting. The Richter scale is very high and ten on the Richter scale is Extraordinary!

THE MEASUREMENT SCALE The measurement scale for

earthquakes is the Richter scale. The Richter scale goes up to a ten and goes as low as a zero. The Richter scale is the scale that measures earthquakes and how bad they were. The Richter scale measures by how bad the damage was and how big the earthquake was.

THE AFTERSHOCKS Aftershocks are the small mini

earthquakes that happen after the main earthquake happens. They can keep coming for days, weeks, and even months. The aftershocks aren’t as big as the main quake but if a building is loose and, big they can knock it clean off the ground. They can be just as dangerous.

KEY TERMS Aftershocks: The small quakes that

come after the main quake. Foreshocks: the shaking that occurs

before an earthquake. Fault: The crack in the ground that

separate's the plates. Intensity: The description of the damage

done by the earthquake. Richter Scale: the scale used to measure

quakes. Seismograph: the instrument used to

measure seismic waves.

THE SOURCES Image sources: http://

ocha.unog.ch/drptoolkit/HEarthquake.html

http://www.sanandreasfault.org/Pictures.html

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/topics/plate_tectonics/plates.php

Book sources: Simon,Seymour. Earthquakes. New York:

Collins, 1991. Print. “Earthquakes”. Illustrated Science

Encyclopedia. Vol. 6. Chicago: Raintree Steck-VaughN,1997. Print.