Earth Science - Geography Homework lithospheric

HOMEWORK #3 – Type Your Name Here>>> Lithospheric Event Analyses (x 3) Physical Geography (GEOG 300) <> Prof. John Aubert <> American River College

Basic Directions: Using your 1) textbook, 2) lecture notes, and 3) the Homework #3 links provided on Canvas, complete the following three analyses.

Follow the directions from our previous homeworks to create a file with MY questions and YOUR answers. REGARDLESS OF THE PROCESS YOU CHOOSE, YOU MUST INCLUDE THE QUESTIONS WITH THE ANSWERS!

When finished, submit your assignment to the appropriate Canvas dropbox; see your syllabus and Canvas for due date. DO NOT ANALYZE THE SAME EVENTS AS YOUR FRIENDS! *************************************************************

******** ATTENTION:  This map will be an AWESOME resource for your earthquake and volcano

analyses. It has LOTS of info, but focus on the plate names, plate boundary types, trenches, and

ridges! ******************************************************** *************

Earthquake – 5.0 Magnitude or higher ONLY!!!!!! Use this USGS link to choose a minimum 5.0 magnitude  (or stronger) earthquake which has occurred AT OR NEAR a tectonic plate boundary within the last 30 days (because that’s where most of them occur anyway).  When

you go to the USGS website, click on the settings icon ( ) in the upper right and choose “30 Days, Magnitude 4.5+

U.S.”  Also, look for the layer icon  and make sure that the “Plate Boundaries” option is also checked, because your quake needs to be fairly close to a boundary.  Finally, make sure to zoom out so that you can view the entire world

(you can go to the earth icon and choose World). You can view details on quakes by clicking on the map dots OR by clicking on the list at the left.  When you choose a quake from the list the map dot will turn light blue to identify it.  Once you have selected a quake, details will be available in the lower left.

Have you picked a quake at or near a Plate Boundary like I asked? (only YES answers will be accepted) Start Typing Here>>>>>

Date and Year of Quake (see USGS site) Start Typing Here>>>>> Exact Time of Quake (see USGS site [example: 17:22:50] ) Start Typing Here>>>>>

Magnitude and Depth (see USGS site; MUST be 5.0 magnitude or higher) Start Typing Here>>>>>

Location (BE AS PRECISE AS POSSIBLE; follow my guidelines at the end) Start Typing Here>>>>>

Homework_Lithospheric_Haz…

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What is the Specific Type of Plate Boundary here [your choices are 1) subduction, 2) continental collision, 3) seafloor spreading, 4) continental rupture, or 5) transform - see lecture notes and this plate map for more info] Start Typing Here>>>>>

List the Names of the Two Plates which meet here (this plate map will have plate names in white text) Start Typing Here>>>>>

List the Name of the Trench, Subduction Zone, Mid-Ocean Ridge, Rift Zone, OR Major Mountain Range associated with this plate boundary (this plate map will have most ridges and trenches in black text) Start Typing Here>>>>>

Types of Faults Likely Present [your choices are 1) normal, 2) reverse/thrust, or 3) strike- slip - see the Plate Boundary chart in your Plate Tectonic notes) Start Typing Here>>>>>

New or Ongoing Volcanic Eruption (Use this Smithsonian link) Go to the Smithsonian link, scroll down the page, and click on the photo of a new or ongoing volcanic eruption occurring AT OR NEAR A TECTONIC PLATE BOUNDARY - IDEALLY ONE YOU LEARNED ABOUT IN MY CLASS.  To determine whether your chosen volcano is at or near a plate boundary, you will need to compare your volcano’s mapped location on the volcano info page to one of the tectonic plate maps I have posted for you in this homework module.  (*By the way, stratovolcano and composite volcano mean the same thing.  Also, Hawaii is not near any plate boundary, so DO NOT choose any volcanoes in the Hawaiian Islands.)

Have you picked a volcano at or near a Plate Boundary like I asked? (See directions above. Only YES answers will be accepted; FYI Hawaii is NOWHERE near any plate boundary.) Answer Yes Here>>>>>

Name of Volcano (see Smithsonian site) Start Typing Here>>>>>

Date or Date Range of Eruption (see Smithsonian site) Start Typing Here>>>>>

Location (BE AS PRECISE AS POSSIBLE; follow my guidelines at the end) Start Typing Here>>>>>

What is the Specific Type of Plate Boundary here [your choices are 1) subduction, 2) continental collision, 3) seafloor spreading, 4) continental rupture, or 5) transform - see lecture notes and linked maps for more info] Start Typing Here>>>>>

List the Names of the Two Plates which meet here (the plate maps linked under Homework #3 will have plate names) Start Typing Here>>>>>

List the Name of the Trench, Subduction Zone, Mid-Ocean Ridge, Rift Zone, OR Major Mountain Range associated with this plate boundary (see trench and ridge maps linked under Homework #3) Start Typing Here>>>>>

Type of Volcano (composite or shield? see site and your notes; keep in mind that composite and stratovolcano mean the same thing) Start Typing Here>>>>>

Type of Eruption (effusive or explosive? see site and your notes) Start Typing Here>>>>>

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Mass Movement (landslides, mudflows, etc) (Use this AGU Landslide Blog link; choose one from the last 4 months.) A mass movement refers to any movement of earth materials (NOT glaciers) downslope under the force of gravity. Terms commonly used include debris avalanche, debris flow, earth flow, mud flow, and landslide. The one common factor required for a mass movement event is an oversteepened slope (the various causes of oversteepening are listed and discussed in your notes). Other factors which may also be involved include looseness of materials, saturation with water, and/or a trigger such as an earthquake or other movement. Did you choose a dam failure or collapse? (Your answer should be NO!!!) Start Typing Here>>>>>

Date of Event (include day, month, and year) Start Typing Here>>>>>

Location (BE AS PRECISE AS POSSIBLE; follow my guidelines at the end) Start Typing Here>>>>>

Estimated Width and Length (see satellite image and description) Start Typing Here>>>>>

Most Likely Cause of Oversteepening; in other words, SPECULATE ON what you think made the slope steep in the first place (see your notes for the causes of oversteepening) Start Typing Here>>>>>

In addition to oversteepening, what other factor or factors seem to have helped cause this event and/or made it worse? See the description provided above and also your lecture notes. Start Typing Here>>>>>

Guidelines on Location: Be as specific as possible; don’t just give me latitude and longitude. Use well-known cities as reference points. If the city is not utterly and completely recognizable to virtually everyone in the world, you must also list state or province and/or country. If the event is not near a named place, then state how far away – and in what direction - it is from a known place (e.g. “1200 miles southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii”).

Questions updated Dec 2022

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