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Paleoseismological
Paleoseismology is the study of ancient Earthquake, earthquakes using geologic evidence, such as geologic Sediment, sediments and Rock (geology), rocks. It is used to supplement Seismology, seismic monitoring to calculate seismic hazard. Paleoseismology is usually restricted to geologic regimes that have undergone continuous sediment creation for the last few thousand years, such as Swamp, swamps, Lake, lakes, river beds and shorelines. Methodology Procedure Paleoseismology studies start with finding an active fault. The definition of an active fault can vary, but it is usually based on having tectonically deformed quaternary-age materials that can potentially cause earthquakes. Satellite imaging with high resolution is often used to find such faults, but because of its resolution limitations, there are also other methods such as ground-penetrating radar (GPR), aeromagnetic surveys, and seismic reflection surveys. Faults can be dated in absolute terms using radiocarbon datin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Historical Earthquakes
Historical earthquakes is a list of significant earthquakes known to have occurred prior to the early 20th century. As the events listed here occurred before routine instrumental recordings, they rely mainly on the analysis of written sources, observations of shaking objects or animal behavior during earthquakes, religious/traditional beliefs about earthquakes (e.g. "God's punishment"). or the use of palaeoseismological techniques. There is often significant uncertainty in locations and magnitudes, and sometimes dates for each earthquakes. The number of fatalities is also often highly uncertain, particularly for the older events. Pre-11th century 11th–16th centuries 17th century 18th century 19th century Source for all events with 'USGS' labelled as the source United States Geological Survey (USGS''Note: Magnitudes are generally estimations from intensity data. When no magnitude was available, the Mercalli intensity scale, maximum intensity, written as a Roman num ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Turbidite
A turbidite is the geologic Deposition (geology), deposit of a turbidity current, which is a type of amalgamation of fluidal and sediment gravity flow responsible for distributing vast amounts of clastic sediment into the deep ocean. Sequencing Turbidites were first properly described by Arnold H. Bouma (1962), who studied deepwater sediments and recognized particular "fining-up intervals" within deep water, fine-grained shales, which were anomalous because they started at pebble Conglomerate (geology), conglomerates and terminated in shales. This was anomalous because within the deep ocean it had historically been assumed that there was no mechanism by which tractional flow could carry and deposit coarse-grained sediments into the abyssal depths. Bouma sequence, Bouma cycles begin with an erosional contact of a coarse lower bed of pebble to granule conglomerate in a sandy matrix, and grade up through coarse then medium plane parallel sandstone; through cross-bedded sandstone; ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paleotsunami
A paleotsunami is a tsunami that occurs prior to written history where there are no documented observations. Paleotsunamis are evidenced by modern technology and scientific research. One of the largest was a megatsunami resulting from the Chicxulub crater, asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs. Studying paleotsunamis is an emerging science to identify and interpret paleotsunami deposits. There are several recorded paleotsunami records, though some are known only by historical mentions, such as tsunamis resulting from the 1700 Cascadia earthquake which is known only from oral traditions among the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest and simultaneous 1700 Cascadia earthquake#Japanese records, Japanese accounts of the same event. Historical occurrences Chile On the coast of Chile, boulders have been found that "suggest directionality from sea to land," and they "could not be transported by rolling." On the northern Chilean coast, probable evidence of a tsunami exist as one ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paleotempestology
Paleotempestology is the study of past tropical cyclone activity by means of geological proxies as well as historical documentary records. The term was coined by American meteorologist Kerry Emanuel. The usual approach in paleotempestology is the identification of deposits left by storms. Most commonly, these are overwash deposits in waterbodies close to the coast; other means are oxygen isotope ratio variations caused by tropical cyclone rainfall in trees or speleothems (cave deposits), and identifying beach ridges kicked up by storm waves. The occurrence rate of tropical cyclones can then be inferred from these deposits and sometimes also their intensity – typically the stronger events are the most easily recognizable ones –, by comparing them to deposits left by historical events. Paleotempestological research has shown that in the Coast of the Gulf of Mexico and in Australia, the occurrence rate of intense tropical cyclones is about once every few centuries, and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fault (geology)
In geology, a fault is a Fracture (geology), planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of Rock (geology), rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust (geology), crust result from the action of Plate tectonics, plate tectonic forces, with the largest forming the boundaries between the plates, such as the megathrust faults of subduction, subduction zones or transform faults. Energy release associated with rapid movement on active faults is the cause of most earthquakes. Faults may also displace slowly, by aseismic creep. A ''fault plane'' is the Plane (geometry), plane that represents the fracture surface of a fault. A ''fault trace'' or ''fault line'' is a place where the fault can be seen or mapped on the surface. A fault trace is also the line commonly plotted on geological maps to represent a fault. A ''fault zone'' is a cluster of parallel faults. However, the term is also used for the zone ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seismic Magnitude Scales
Seismic magnitude scales are used to describe the overall strength or "size" of an earthquake. These are distinguished from seismic intensity scales that categorize the intensity or severity of ground shaking (quaking) caused by an earthquake at a given location. Magnitudes are usually determined from measurements of an earthquake's seismic waves as recorded on a seismogram. Magnitude scales vary based on what aspect of the seismic waves are measured and how they are measured. Different magnitude scales are necessary because of differences in earthquakes, the information available, and the purposes for which the magnitudes are used. Earthquake magnitude and ground-shaking intensity The Earth's crust is stressed by tectonic forces. When this stress becomes great enough to rupture the crust, or to overcome the friction that prevents one block of crust from slipping past another, energy is released, some of it in the form of various kinds of seismic waves that cause ground-shaki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Archaeoseismology
Archaeoseismology is the study of ancient earthquakes by analysis of archaeological sites before Robert Mallet's protomodern seismology in the mid-19th century. Such analyses reveal information about seismic events that was not historically recorded before the advent of seismometers in the late 19th century. Such data can also help to document seismic risk in areas subject to brutally destructive earthquakes. In 1991, an international conference in Athens marked the beginning of modern research in the field of archaeoseismology, described as a "study of ancient earthquakes, and their social, cultural, historical and natural effects". The main idea Earthquakes in the distant past may provide important information for a regional seismic risk assessment. We have quantitative data concerning past earthquakes only from the beginning of the 20th century (as the seismograph was invented only at the end of the 19th century), but humanity has had to deal with earthquakes throughout its exis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Subduction
Subduction is a geological process in which the oceanic lithosphere and some continental lithosphere is recycled into the Earth's mantle at the convergent boundaries between tectonic plates. Where one tectonic plate converges with a second plate, the heavier plate dives beneath the other and sinks into the mantle. A region where this process occurs is known as a subduction zone, and its surface expression is known as an arc-trench complex. The process of subduction has created most of the Earth's continental crust. Rates of subduction are typically measured in centimeters per year, with rates of convergence as high as 11 cm/year. Subduction is possible because the cold and rigid oceanic lithosphere is slightly denser than the underlying asthenosphere, the hot, ductile layer in the upper mantle. Once initiated, stable subduction is driven mostly by the negative buoyancy of the dense subducting lithosphere. The down-going slab sinks into the mantle largely under its own ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, landslides, glacier calvings, meteorite impacts and other disturbances) above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami. Unlike normal ocean waves, which are generated by wind, or tides, which are in turn generated by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun, a tsunami is generated by the displacement of water from a large event. Tsunami waves do not resemble normal undersea currents or sea waves because their wavelength is far longer. Rather than appearing as a breaking wave, a tsunami may instead initially resemble a rapidly rising tide. For this reason, it is often referred to as a tidal wave, although this usage is not favoured by the scientific community because it might give the false impression of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
