Tectonics - Topic 2 Flashcards
Earthquakes & Volcanoes (100 cards)
What is lava?
Molten rocks that have erupted onto Earth’s surface; it is called magma when found below the Earth’s surface
How are earthquakes measured?
Earthquakes are measured using seismometers
The greater the seismic energy released during an earthquake, the greater the magnitude
Scientists use the following scales to rate the magnitudes of earthquakes
1. Richter Scale (ML)
2. Moment Magnitude Scale (Mw)
What’s a seismometer?
- Seismometers are sensitive instruments that detect ground vibrations and determine the magnitude of an earthquake
What is the Richter Scale (ML) ?
- The Richter Scale caluclates earthquake magnitude using the height of the largest wave recorded on seismometers
- Thus, earthquake magnitude is measured based on the maximum seismic intensity reached, rather than the total seismic energy released throughout the earthquake
- The scale is numbered from 1 to 10, with 10 being the greatest magnitude
- Scale is logarithmic – an earthquake of magnitude 6 releases about 32 times more energy than a magnitude 5 earthquake
What is the limitation of the Richter Scale (ML) ?
The Richter Scale would rate an earthquake with a single drastic spike in wave energy as having a higher magnitude than a long earthquake with many large, intense waves:
- This underestimates longer earthquakes which release more overall energy by rating them as having lower magnitudes even though they are likely to do more damage
- Hence, the Richter Scale is no longer commonly used, except for small, local earthquakes
What is the Moment Magnitude Scale (Mw)?
- The Mw scale rates earthquake magnitude based on the total energy released during the earthquake
- It estimates the total energy released during an earthquake instead of just the largest wave like the Richter Scale.
- Hence, it is generally more accurate, especially in measuring earthquakes of magnitude 8 and above.
- Scientists have adjusted the magnitudes of past earthquakes which were intially measured using the Richter Scale
- Like the Richter Scale, the Mw is also logarthmic - an earthquake of magnitude 6 releases about 32 times more energy than a magnitude 5 earthquake.
Give me an example of an earthquakes’ magnitudes adjusted from the Richter Scale to the Moment Magnitude Scale
The Prince William Sound Earthquake in Alaska, USA, in 1964. was intially rated 8.6 on the Richter Scale, but was later adjustred to 9.2 based on the Mw scale.
How do tectonic processes result in volcanic eruptions?
- A volcano is a landform created when lava erupts onto the Earth’s surface.
- It may form a cone-shaped mountain as more lava erupts and accumulates over time
Where do volcanic eruptions occur at?
- Divergent plate boundaries
- Convergent plate boundaries
What is a crater?
- Bowl-shaped depression at the top of the volcano
Explain how volcanic eruptions happen at divergent plate boundaries
- Plates move apart, the crust stretches and fractures develop
- The decreas in overlying pressure casuses parts of the underlying mantle to melt, forming magma
- Magma contains dissolved gases and is less dense than the surrounding materials
- Therefore, magma rises through weak areas in the crust to the Earth’s surface to erupt as lava, causing a volcanic eruption
- The lava cools, solidifies and accumulates over time, forming a volcano
Explain how volcanic eruptions happen at convergent plate boundaries
- Plates move towards each other and the denser plate subducts under the other
- As the subducting plate sinks into the mantle, the high pressure forces water out of it s oceanic crust. Water lowers the melting point of the overlying mantle, causing it to melt, forming magma
- Magma contains dissolved gases and is less dense than the surrounding materials
- Therefore, magma rises through weak areas in the crust to the Earth’s surface to erupt as lava, causing a volcanic eruption.
- The lava cools, solidifies and accumulates over time, forming a volcano
What are the characteristics of high silica magma?
- More viscous magma
- As magma rises towards the Earth’s surface, the dissolved gases in the magma cannot escape easily
- More pressure builds up until gases escape explosively
- Resulting in violent, explosive eruptions
- Generally associated with stratovolcanoes
What are the characteristics of low silica magma?
- As magma rises towards the Earth’s surface, the dissolved gases in the magma can escape easily
- Less pressure builds up
- Resulting in gentle, effusive eruptions
- Generally associated with shield volcanoes
Give an example of where viscous magma does not result in explosive eruption, and explain why
- When Mount Merapi is a stratovolcano, its eruption in 2006 was not explosive as the viscous magma rose in a way that allowed dissolved gases to escape easily
How do stratovolcanoes form, and give an example of one
Stratovolcanoes form when:
* High visocisty magma rises through weak areas in the rust to the Earth’s surface and erupts explosively as lava, ash and rocks.
* The ash and rocks settle on the sides of the volcano, and are later covered by the lava
* Over successiuve eruptions, a tall volcano consisting of alternating layers of ash and lava develops
* As the highly viscous lava travels a shorter distance before cooling and solidifying, the volcano has steep sides and a narrow summit
Example:
* Mount Mayan in the Phillipines
How do shield volcanoes form, and give an example of one
Shield volcanoes form when:
* Low viscosity magma rises through weak areas in the crust to the Earth’s surface and erupts effusively
* Over succesive eruptions, a volcano consisting of layers of lava develops
* As the less viscous lava travels a longer distance before cooling and solidifying, the volcano has gently sloping sides with a broad summit
Example:
* Kilauea in Hawaii, USA
How are volcanic eruptions measured?
The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) measures the magnitude of different volcanic eruptions based on explosivuty using the following criteria:
* Volume of ejected material
* Hei ght of the eruptiuon cloud
* Duration of eruption
It is measured on a scale of 0 to 8
* Effusive eruptions are generally given a value of 0 or 1, as they are non-explosive with less than 0.0001km3 of material ejected
–> Example: The ongoing effusive eruption of Kilauea, Hawaii, which is non-explosive
- A value of 8, represents a mega-colossal explosive eruption that can eject more than 1,000km3 of tephra, with an eruption cloud colum height of over 25km
–> Example: Toba Volcano, in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia, 74000 years ago. – The volcanpo erupted apporximately 2800km3 of material, which covered India and parts of Southeast Asia in over 15cm3 in ash.
- VEI scale is logarthmic - an increase of ‘1’ on the VEI scale indicates an eurption 10 times more powerful than the number before it.
What is an active vent?
- An opening on the Earth’s surface through which lava erupts. It is situated at the bottom of the crater
What is a conduit?
- A central passageway in the volcanp through which magma travels. It conntects the magma chamber to the vent
What is a volcanic cone?
- The traingle-shaped hill or mountain formed as lava accumulates around the vent
What is a magma chamber?
- Location in the Earth’s crust where magma is located
What does it mean when magma is “viscous”?
Viscous: Thick, sticky consistency
What does it mean when an eruption is “effusive”?
Effusive: A relatively gentle eruption that is mainly dominated by the outpouring of lava onto the ground (as opposed to explosive eruption which involve violkent ejection of tephra)