Download Earthquakes and Volcanoes

MY FAVORITE TESTIMONIAL
So far, 3 of our 4 children have participated in the Science Olympiad (our last is in 4th grade). Our
eldest daughter, Kate, elected to attend Indiana University where she is now a freshman. She
recounted the following to her mother and me.
During Freshman Orientation Week, all departments gathered together in trade show fashion to
present their particular curriculums. Students were invited to visit each table to discover what may be
of interest to them. Kate came upon a bold challenge presented by the Geology Department. Their
sign read, "IF YOU CAN IDENTIFY ANY OF THESE SAMPLES, YOU MAY TAKE IT!" Nine items
were in presentation on the table.
Kate approached the table and identified all 9 rocks and minerals. The professor was stunned! Kate
swept the items from the table and was ready to move on, but the professor pressed for more
information.
First, he asked what her major was. She replied, "Cognitive Science and English." Stunned, the
professor pleaded, "NO,NO,NO, you must reconsider to become a geologist!
Kate smiled and said, “Maybe as a hobby.” Floored, the professor asked how she had become so
knowledgeable about geology? Kate confessed that she had been the primary team member who had
responsibility for the geology events (R & M and Fossils) as a member of her B and C SO teams.
After some more discussion she moved on only to note later that, without further samples to show, he
closed up shop early. Way-To-Go-SO!
As recorded by TOM SANDERS
Presented by Linder Winter,
E-S Rules Committee
EVENT ROTATION
2009 & 2010: Earthquakes & Volcanoes
 2011 & 2012: Earth’s Fresh Waters
 2013 & 2014: Glaciers
 2015 & 2016: Oceanography

EVENT DESCRIPTION
Students will use process skills to
complete tasks related to earthquakes
and volcanoes.
 A TEAM OF UP TO: 2
 APPROXIMATE TIME: 50 MINUTES

EVENT PARAMETERS

Each team may bring one 8.5” x 11” twosided page of notes containing
information in any form from any source.
Each participant may bring any kind of
(non-graphing) calculator (but no other
resources).
STUDENT RESOURCE SHEET
Resources are to knowledge events as
projects are to construction events
 Students develop their own resources;
no hand-me-downs!
 Provide an opportunity for coaches to
easily monitor participant progress

THE COMPETITION

Participants will be presented with one
or more tasks, many requiring the use of
process skills (i.e., observing, classifying, measuring, inferring, predicting,
communicating and using number
relationships – source: AAAS) for any of
the following topics.
POSSIBLE TESTING OPTIONS





Charts, tables, diagrams
Determining location of epicenter
Given the angle of repose and the diameter
of a worn down, extinct volcano, calculate
its tallest height from base to summit
Match general volcanic features with wellknown examples, i.e. Devil’s Tower –
Volcanic Neck; Crater Lake – Caldera
Patterns of volcano and earthquake
locations around the world (next slide)
Plate boundaries (blue lines),
the distribution of recent
earthquakes (yellow dots) and
active volcanoes (red triangles)
Image Interpretation
possibility
Courtesy of NASA.
COACHING RESOURCES
Limit internet resources to:
 United States Geological Survey (USGS)
 National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA)
 National Oceanographic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA)
 National Park Service (NPS)
 National Forest Service (NFS)
COACHING RESOURCES
Middle/Junior High/Senior High Earth
Science Textbooks, and even
Introductory College Textbooks
 *The Game of Earth
 *Physical Geology Lab Manual
 *Theory of PLATE TECTONICS CD

*http://www.otherworlds-edu.com
TYPES OF VOLCANOES
Shield volcanoes are huge in size.
 They are built up by many layers of
runny lava flows spilling out of a central
vent or group of vents.
 The broad shaped, gently-sloping cone
is formed from basaltic lava which can't
be piled up into steep mounds.

TYPES OF VOLCANOES
Cinder cones are simple volcanoes which
have a bowl-shaped crater at the summit
and rarely rise more than a thousand feet
above their surroundings.
 They usually are created of eruptions from
a single vent and are composed solely of
lava remnants.
 Cinders of lava, blown into the air during
eruptions, break into small fragments that
fall into a pile around the vent.

TYPES OF VOLCANOES
Composite volcanoes are also called
stratovolcanoes.
 They are built of alternating layers of
lava flows and pyroclastic materials
including cinders, blocks, and bombs.
 Composite volcanoes are symmetrically
shaped, tall and have steep sides,
sometimes rising 10,000 feet high.

TYPES OF VOLCANOES
Composite volcanoes usually erupt in an
explosive way due to viscous (thick)
magma.
 When very viscous magma rises to the
surface, it usually clogs the craterpipe,
and gas in the craterpipe gets locked up.
Therefore, the pressure will increase
resulting in an explosive eruption.

TYPES OF VOLCANOES

Lava Dome – Masses of solid rock
formed when viscous lava erupts slowly
from a vent. If the lava is viscous
enough, it will pile up above the vent to
form a dome rather than move away as
a lava flow.
SUBMARINE VOLCANOES
Shallow water volcanoes disclose their
presence by blasting steam and rockdebris high above the surface of the sea.
 The tremendous weight of water above
volcanoes at great depths results in high,
confining pressure and prevents the
formation and explosive release of steam
and gases.
 Even very large, deep-water eruptions may
not disturb the ocean surface.

Explosive vs. Effusive
CONTROLS ON
EXPLOSIVITY
Possible interpretive
activity.
SiO2
MAGMA
TEMPERATURE
VISCOSITY
GAS
ERUPTION STYLE
TYPE
(centigrade)
~50%
mafic
~1100
low
low
nonexplosive
~60%
intermediate
~1000
intermediate
intermediate
intermediate
~70%
felsic
~800
high
high
explosive
CONTENT
VOLCANIC HAZARDS
Pyroclastic flows – turbulent mixture of
pyroclastics and gases flowing down the
flank of a volcano
 Lahars – similar to pyroclastic flows with
much more water from ice and snow
 Volcanic gases – most is water vapor with
lesser amounts of CO2, SO2, H2S, HCL
 Lava flows – incineration and burial of
buildings, property, and agricultural land
are the primary hazards

VOLCANIC FEATURES






Calderas – formed (1) when a volcano’s summit is
blown off or (2) when the crater floor collapses into a
vacated magma chamber
Crater lakes – Oregon’s Crater Lake is really a
caldera
Lava plateaus – formed from large outpourings of
fluid lava along lengthy, narrow openings in the crust
Geysers
Hot springs
Volcanic plugs – formed when lava solidifies in the
pipe of an extinct volcano. Over time, the volcanic
cone composed of less resistant rocks wears away,
leaving behind the solidified plug
Possible participant
activity
Identify this volcanic feature
and explain its formation.
USGS image.
ROCK TYPES



As related to kinds of eruptions – tuff and volcanic
breccia from explosive volcanoes; aa and
pahoehoe flows from thin, flowing lava
As related to plate boundaries – sediments are
metamorphosed at convergent boundaries; some
igneous rocks are formed at spreading zones; new
igneous rocks may form in subduction zones
As related to submarine volcanoes – hot spots
(which occur on continents as well)
KINDS OF SEISMIC WAVES
Primary (P) – fastest traveling, i.e. first
to arrive at a distant seismograph
 Secondary (S) – do not travel through
fluids, so these do not exist in the outer
core
 Love (L) – also known as surface waves
and long waves; decreases in amplitude
with depth

P WAVES
P waves are
longitudinal or
compressional
waves, which means
that the ground is
alternately
compressed and
dilated in the
direction of
propagation.
S WAVES
S waves are transverse
or shear waves, which
means that the ground
is displaced
perpendicularly to the
direction of propagation,
alternately to one side
and then the other. S
waves can travel only
through solids.
SURFACE WAVES
Surface waves are
analogous to water
waves and travel over
the Earth's surface.
 They travel more slowly
than body waves.
 Because of their low
frequency, they are
more likely than body
waves to stimulate
resonance in buildings,
and are therefore the
most destructive type of
seismic wave.

EARTH’S INTERIOR

Boundaries and characteristics of:
 Lithosphere – crust and upper mantle
 Moho – In geology, the term “discontinuity” is
used for a surface at which seismic waves
change velocity. One of these surfaces exists at
an average depth of 8 km beneath the ocean or
about 32 km beneath the continents. This
surface is known as the Mohorovicic
Discontinuity or Moho.
 Mantle
 Outer core
 Inner core
http://geology.com/articles/mohorovicic-discontinuity.shtml
HANGING WALL VS FOOTWALL


Vertical faults are the
result of up or down
movement along a break
in the rocks. Actually, both
blocks may move up or
both blocks may drop, or
one might go up and one
might go down.
It is the end result of the
movement that classifies
the relationship between
the blocks.
HANGING WALL VS FOOTWALL

The hanging wall block is
the one on the left and the
foot wall block is the one
on the right.
NORMAL FAULTS


Normal faults form
when the hanging wall
drops down.
The forces that create
normal faults are
pulling the sides apart
(extensional
REVERSE FAULTS


Reverse – Reverse
faults form when the
hanging wall moves
up.
Forces creating
reverse faults are
compressional,
pushing the sides
together.
STRIKE-SLIP FAULTS


Strike-slip faults have
walls that move
sideways, not up or
down.
The forces creating
these faults are lateral
or horizontal, carrying
the sides past each
other.
HANGING WALL VS FOOTWALL

Identify the footwall
block, the hanging
wall block, the fault
trace, and the fault
scarp.
HANGING WALL VS FOOTWALL





The footwall block is on
the left.
The hanging wall block is
on the right.
The fault trace is the line
along the surface of the
earth formed by the fault.
The fault scarp is the cliff
that results from the fault
movement.
Note that this is a normal
fault.
THRUST FAULTS


Thrust faults are described
in most introductory
textbooks as low angle
reverse faults.
Reverse faults are steeply
dipping (more near
vertical), thrust faults are
closer to horizontal. 45° is
a commonly cited cut-off
between the two types of
faults.
ASSESSING EARTHQUAKE
DAMAGE
Mercalli Scale – a scale of earthquake
intensity based upon observed effects
ranging from 1 (detectable only with
instruments) to XII (causing almost total
destruction).
 Richter Scale – a logrithmic scale used to
express the total amount of energy
released by an earthquake. Its values
typically range between 0 and 9, with each
increase of 1 representing a 10-fold
increase in energy.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS




Do not panic!
If you are indoors, stay there. Seek protection
under a table or desk, or in a doorway. Stay
away from glass.
If you are outside, move away from buildings
and power lines. Stay in the open.
If you are in a car, bring it to a stop as soon as
possible. The car’s springs will absorb some of
the shaking. The car will offer some protection.
CLIMATE CHANGE AS RELATED
TO VOLCANIC ACTIVITY





Human-made CO2 dwarf the estimated global release of CO2
from volcanoes by at least 150 times.
Volcanic dust blasted into the atmosphere causes temporary
cooling.
Volcanoes that release huge amounts of sulfur compounds
affect the climate more strongly than those that eject just
dust. Combined with atmospheric water, they form a haze of
sulfuric acid that reflects a great deal of sunlight which may
cause global cooling for up to two years. Much more in-depth
information at:
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/volcanoes/vclimate.html
http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/
TOPOGRAPHIC MAP SKILLS AS
RELATED TO TECTONICS
The Physical Geology Lab Manual (from
www.otherworlds-edu.com) offers a
lesson on Kilauea along with a
topographic map.
 Identify fault lines on a topographic map
of strategic areas in California.

PLATE BOUNDARIES

Convergent – where
plates crash or
crunch together
PLATE BOUNDARIES

Divergent – where
plates are coming
apart
PLATE BOUNDARIES


Transform – where
plates slide past
each other
The next slide
shows a possible
slide participants
could be asked to
interpret during the
event.
VOLCANISM
AT PLATE TECTONIC
BOUNDARIES (USGS Image)
PLATE BOUNDARIES
Earthquake patterns
 Mid-ocean ridges
 Subduction zones
 Volcanic arcs and mountain chains
 Trenches
 Mountain ranges

EVIDENCE OF CONTINENTAL
DRIFT
Fossils
 Rock types
 Shape of continents
 Mountain ranges

SEA FLOOR SPREADING
Magnetic reversals
 Age of rocks on either side of a midocean ridge

TSUNAMIS

A tsunami can be generated by any
disturbance that displaces a large mass
of water, such as an earthquake,
volcanic eruption, landslide or meteor
impact.
TSUNAMIS
Typically undersea earthquakes give
rise to between 3 and 5 distinct waves
(crests), the second or third of which are
usually the largest.
 In instances where the leading edge of
the tsunami is its trough, the sea will
recede from the coast half the wave's
period before the wave's arrival.

TSUNAMIS

In instances where the leading edge of
the tsunami is its first peak, low-lying
coastal areas are flooded before the
higher second wave reaches them.
Tsunamis travel swiftly across the open ocean. The map below shows how a
tsunami produced by an earthquake along the coast of Chile in 1960
traveled across the Pacific Ocean, reaching Hawaii in about 15 hours and
Japan is less than 24 hours.
SCORING
Points will be awarded for the quality
and accuracy of responses.
 Ties will be broken by the accuracy
and/or quality of answers to pre-selected
questions.

NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION
STANDARDS

Content Standard D. Structure of the
Earth System; Earth’s History
These and other questions may be found at:
http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/
QUESTION # 1
Explosive
eruptions are
typically
associated with
magmas having
________
viscosities and
________ volatile
contents.
a) high / low
b) low / high
c) low / low
d) high / high
e) viscosity and
volatile content
have no
relationship to
explosivity
QUESTION 2
Which of the
following island
chains were
generated by
intraplate volcanism
above a mantle
plume.
a) the Aleutian Island
chain
b) Emperor Island chain
c) Hawaiian Island
chain
d) both (b) and (c)
e) all the above
QUESTION 3
This volcano is an
example of a
_________.
a) stratovolcano
b) shield volcano
c) scoria cone
d) spatter cone
e) parasitic cone
QUESTION 4
Stratovolcanoes are
commonly found at
________.
a) divergent plate
boundaries
b) intraplate boundaries
c) transform plate
boundaries
d) regions of continental
extension
e) convergent plate
boundaries
QUESTION 5
Active lava domes
generally have
______ viscosities
and ______ gas
contents.
a) low / high
b) high / low
c) low / low
d) high / high
e) variable / variable
QUESTION 6
Which of the following
shield volcano types are
exceptionally
symmetrical, with flat
tops occupied by large
and very deep calderas
(photo)?
a) Galapagos shields
b) Hawaiian shields
c) Icelandic shields
d) Saudi Arabian shields
e) Andean shields
QUESTION 7
Basalt lava with a
smooth, billowy, or
ropey surface is
called ________.
a) cheesy lava
b) a'a lava
c) mokeoweoweo
lava
d) pahoehoe lava
e) rheomorphic lava
QUESTION 8
A collapse
depression above a
lava tube is called
a(n) __________.
a) Hawaiian hot pot
b) spatter hole
c) fumarole
d) caldera
e) skylight
QUESTION 9
The bulbous bodies with
quenched glassy rinds in
the photo below are
known as ________.
a) peperites
b) accretionary lava balls
c) pillow basalts
d) pahoehoe toes
e) lava stalagmites
QUESTION 10
Which gas
constitutes 70-90%
of the gases
dissolved in
magma.
a) water vapor
b) CO2
c) SO2
d) H2S
e) H
HOW DID YOU DO?
1. a) high / low
 2. d) both b and c
 3. a) stratovolcano
 4. e) convergent
 5. b) high / low






6. a) Galapagos
7. d) pahoehoe lava
8. e) skylight
9. c) pillow basalts
10. a) water vapor