LabAssignment 3

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Athabasca University, Calgary *

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Geology

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Feb 20, 2024

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(Revision 4) Assignment 3 Tectonic Earthquakes and Associated Hazards Complete Units 4, 5, and 6 before attempting this assignment. This assignment (worth 100 marks) makes up 5% of your final grade. Materials To complete this assignment, you will need the following materials. Please collect them now, before you proceed.  Foley, D., McKenzie, G. D., & Utgard, R. O. (2009). Investigations in Environmental Geology (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.  Keller, E. A. (2012). Introduction to Environmental Geology (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Overview Following a brief look at geologic hazards, this assignment examines basic characteristics of tectonic earthquakes. You will become acquainted with methods that can be used to locate earthquake epicentres and procedures for measuring earthquake intensity. After examining earthquake shaking hazard maps and fault detection, the final part of the assignment addresses earthquake preparation, hazard reduction techniques, and earthquake prediction. Geologic Hazards: Introduction Reading Assignment Keller, E. A. (2012). Introduction to Environmental Geology (5th ed.).  Review “Hazards, Disasters, and Natural Processes” (pp. 142–149). Foley, D., McKenzie, G. D., & Utgard, R. O. (2009). Investigations in Environmental Geology (3rd ed.).  “Introduction to Geologic Hazards” (pp. 45–51). Questions (20 marks) Answer questions 1–4 under “Questions Introduction II—Geologic Hazards” (p. 48) in Investigations in Environmental Geology (3rd ed.). 1. Give the definition of a geologic hazard (in your own words or that provided in the Introduction). A geologic hazard is a geologic condition, process, or potential event that poses a threat to our safety, health, structures, the functions of human society, and the economy. Geology 207: Introduction to Environmental Geology 1

(Revision 4) 2. List 5 geologic hazards. Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Floods, Landslides, Tsunamis. 3. What types of hazards have been omitted from this book? Biological hazards (disease, pests, overpopulation), Weather hazards (tornadoes, storms, wildfires), Magnetic storms, Asteroid impacts, Technological hazards (air pollution, nuclear accidents, terrorism), Slow geologic processes (erosion, permafrost thawing, desertification) 4. Can human activity induce a geologic hazard? Explain your answer. Yes, the chapter gives us an example of human activities like diverting rivers, undercutting slopes, over- using groundwater, etc. That can trigger or worsen geologic hazards like landslides, floods, ground subsidence that may not have otherwise occurred or been as severe. Humans can be geological agents altering hazard risk. Earthquakes A. Earthquake Epicentre Reading Assignment Keller, E. A. (2012). Introduction to Environmental Geology (5th ed.).  Review “Introduction to Earthquakes,” “Earthquake Magnitude,” and “Earthquake Intensity” (pp. 170– 177). Foley, D., McKenzie, G. D., & Utgard, R. O. (2009). Investigations in Environmental Geology (3rd ed.).  “Introduction” (p. 82).  “Earthquake Waves” (p. 82).  “Part A. Epicentre, Intensity, and Seismic Risk: Epicentre” (p. 83). Questions (40 marks) Answer questions 1–4 (A1, pp. 83–84) in Investigations in Environmental Geology (3rd ed.). Geology 207: Introduction to Environmental Geology 2

(Revision 4) 1- 2- To determine the distance from the earthquake to each seismograph station we must first determine the time lag between P and S wave arrivals at a given distance from an earthquake, say 100 km, knowing the average velocities of the P and S waves. If the average velocity of the P wave is 6.1 km/sec and the average velocity of the S wave is 4.1 km/sec, what is the time required for each wave to travel 100 km? (It may help to think of this problem like a very fast driving trip: if you want to go 100 km, and you drive at a rate of 6.1 km/sec, how long, in seconds, will it take you to get to your destination?) P waves (6.1 km/sec) travel 100 km in 16.4 seconds. S waves (4.1 km/sec) travel 100 km in 24.4 seconds. Thus, the time lag between the arrival of P and S waves at a distance 100 km from the hypocenter (T100) is 8 seconds. 3- Geology 207: Introduction to Environmental Geology 3

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