Purwanchal Vidyamandir Session: 2020 - 2021 Class: IX Subject: Geography Study Material - 3 Chapter - 8 Earthquakes

PURWANCHAL VIDYAMANDIR
2021 – 2021
Session: 2020 2022
Class: IX
Subject: Geography
Study Material – 63
Chapter - 8 Earthquakes
What are Earthquakes ?
Earthquakes are tremors or vibrations on the earth’s surface produced by the internal forces
or man - made stresses that break the earth’s crust along lines of weakness.
It is a shock or series of shocks or tremors due to sudden movement of crustal rocks

generated at a point known as the hypocentre or seismic focus, within the crust or the
mantle.
Important terms related to Earthquakes :
 The point of origin of the earthquake is called seismic focus which usually has a
depth of less than 60 kilometres. Closer the seismic focus is to the surface, greater is
the effect of the earthquake.
 The point on the earth’s surface vertically above the seismic focus is called the
epicentre. The intensity of the tremor is maximum at the epicentre and decreases
with distance from it.
 Seismology is the science of earthquakes and the people who study it are
seismologists. The instrument which records the passage of earthquake waves is a
seismometer and a graph indicating both the intensity of waves and the time of
passage is called a seismograph. Records of seismograph stations fix the epicentre of
an earthquake.
Scale of measurement :
 The magnitude of earthquake waves is measured by a Richter Scale which is graded

from 0 – 9 where reading 5 and above marks severe vibrations. Each point upward
from 1 represents 10-fold increase in the shock waves. Thus an earthquake wave of
magnitude 6 will be 10 times stronger than magnitude 5.
 The Mercalli Scale was used to measure the intensity of vibrations which was graded
from I – XII.
 The intensity of earthquakes is the destructive power of an earthquake and the
evaluation of its ground vibration at a certain place. The severity is judged according
to the measure on the Richter scale where 5 and above is alarming.
Fact File :
Richter magnitude scale uses a seismometer to measure the magnitude of the largest
amount of energy released by an earthquake.
Mercalli intensity scale describes earthquakes in terms of what nearby residents felt
and the damage done to nearby structures.
Causes of Earthquakes :-
 Folding and Faulting:

Internal vertical and horizontal movements due to compressional and tensional
forces cause folding and faulting in the earth’s crust which causes displacement of
rocks. Such an imbalance causes earthquakes especially along plate margins. For
example, the massive earthquake caused by San Andreas Fault of California
measured 8.3 on the Richter scale.
 Plate Tectonics :
Most earthquakes occur on account of plate movements. When two plates slip past
each other or collide against each other, their edges produce faults along the lines of
weakness which gives rise to powerful earthquakes. These tectonic earthquakes are
most frequent and immensely powerful. For example, in India, a severe earthquake
occurred at Bhuj in Gujarat due to lowering of the Indian plate below the Asian plate.
 Volcanic Eruptions :
These are one of the main causes of earthquakes. During the volcanic eruptions, hot
gases are pushed upward which in turn push the earth’s crust violently causing
earthquakes. Volcanic activities and earthquakes are interrelated, one following the
other. For example, the violent eruption of Krakatoa volcano between the
Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java caused severe earthquake which even
generated Tsunami (tidal waves).
 Isostatic Origin :
Isostasy is the state of gravitational equilibrium between earth’s crust and mantle
such that the crust floats at an elevation that depends on its thickness and density.
Any change in equilibrium may result in earthquakes. For example, the Lahore
earthquake of 1949 was due to this reason.
 Man-made causes :
Human activity like construction of dams, nuclear explosions, blasting of rocks,
mining, etc., near fault zones are responsible for earthquakes. For example , the
Koyna earthquake in Maharashtra was caused by the construction of Koyna dam in a
seismically active region.
What is an Isoseismal line?

A line connecting all points on the surface where the intensity of earthquake is the
same is an isoseismal line.
Click on this link to watch an youtube video on earthquake

ASSIGNMENT
1) Define the following:-

i) Seismology
ii) Tsunamis
iii) Isostasy
2) Differentiate between the following:-

i) Hypocentre and Epicentre
ii) Richter scale and Mercalli scale
3) Give reasons for the following:-

i) Folding and Faulting is one of the main causes behind earthquakes.
ii) The intensity of the earthquake may be very high near a volcano.
iii) Waste water pumped down disused tube wells can reduce the extent of
destruction caused by earthquakes.
iv) The plates making up the earth’s crust move or slide over each other.
v) Earthquakes may be man-made.
vi) ‘Pacific Rim‘ is ridden by active volcanoes and tectonic earthquakes.
4) Answer the following:-

i) What is an earthquake?
ii) Explain any two natural causes of an earthquake.
iii) What is a seismometer?
_ _____________________________

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PURWANCHAL VIDYAMANDIR

What are Earthquakes ?

It is a shock or series of shocks or tremors due to sudden movement of crustal rocks

Important terms related to Earthquakes :

 The magnitude of earthquake waves is measured by a Richter Scale which is graded

 Folding and Faulting:

What is an Isoseismal line?

Click on this link to watch an youtube video on earthquake

1) Define the following:-

2) Differentiate between the following:-

3) Give reasons for the following:-

4) Answer the following:-

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