Sismologia

Abstract

An earthquake is a violent disturbance in the crust caused by a sudden movement in depth, resulting in the instantaneous release of energy slowly accumulated along the time. The point where this disturbance occurs is called the focus or hypocenter, and the point on the surface the vertical of the focus is called the epicenter. Earthquakes occur at varying depths, from close to the surface to 700 km depth. Most earthquakes that originate near the surface are associated with or caused by sharp edges along crustal fractures (faults). The other causes are related to volcanic activity, with large earth movements (slides). A fault is a fracture that has occurred in the rocks with a consequent displacement of the resulting blocks. The energy released when blocks break up inside the crust is transmitted to from the focus through wave motion, across all rocks, where these waves can be primary, secondary and superficial. The seismic intensity is a parameter that allows to evaluate the seismic vibrations felt in a certain place, taking into account the effects produced on people, objects and structures. IT IS determined by completing a standard questionnaire distributed by official entities. The intensity scale used is the Mercalli Scale. Magnitude is another parameter that allows an earthquake to be evaluated and is proportional to the magnitude of the earthquake. amount of energy released at the hypocenter of an earthquake. The largest magnitude scale used is the Richer scale (TRADUÇÃO NOSSA)