Learn about earthquakes and how they form. Discover the connection between plate tectonics and earthquakes, the formation of faults, and how scientists measure earthquakes using seismographs. Finally, explore best practices for earthquake safety. Related to this QuestionWhat is used to find earthquak...
Earthquakes and how to Measure them 1
Though earthquakes have terrorized people since ancient times, it's only been in the past 100 years that scientists have come to understand what causes them, and to develop technology to detect their origin and measure their magnitude. In addition, engineers and architects have worked to make bu...
All earthquakes can now be compared on the same scale with the Moment Magnitude. Previously, the Richter scale was used, however, it is precise only for measuring earthquakes of a certain size and at a certain distance from a seismometer. See the Moment Magnitude chart below. Read Next Ear...
How did scientists learn what lies deep inside the earth? How do scientists know what's in the different layers? How do scientists know there is convection in the mantle? How do seismologists locate earthquakes? How does an archaeologist read stratigraphy?
How do scientists measure Earth? Today, scientists measure Earth by improving on a method developed by another Greek polymath, Eratosthenes, around 250 B.C. Eratosthenes used trigonometry to determine the distance between Aswan and Alexandria by measuring the position ofthe sunat the same time in ...
Tectonic activity at or near areas of contact between the plates is the driving force behind earthquakes and volcanic activity. It's also why the layout of our continents shifts over tens of millions of years. OK, so what about Mars? Scientists think some kind of tectonic mechanism — or ...
Since we're interested in the intensity and destructive power of storms, we also need to know how scientists classify them. The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale measures tornado intensity on a 0-5 scale by estimating wind speeds based on damage. Interestingly, this means very powerful tornadoes can...
Compare shifts at different ends of transform faults, like the San Andreas Fault, to predict earthquakes Monitor the land around volcanoes to detect magma moving toward the surface, making it possible to predict volcanic eruptions earlier Measure snow and ice depth in places like Antarctica to colle...
all but guaranteeing the collapse of the telescope. Those two events led the owners of the structure, the National Science Foundation, to announce the closure of the observatory, citing safety concerns. Scientists worldwide petitioned for the observatory to be kept open, but then disaster truly ...