Part 1 – Earthquakes
For this portion of the assignment, using Google Earth, I researched five magnitude 4.0+ earthquakes that took place during early October 2011. Each of the five earthquakes that were studied shows basic information (magnitude, time, date, location) as well as the depth and the type of plate boundary it occured on.
Earthquake #1: On October 7, 2011 at 3:10 PM a 4.0 magnitude earthquake, with a focus depth of 0 km (0 miles), struck Central California approximately 13 miles from Scottys Castle (36.915°N, 117.514°W). This earthquake occurred along a transform boundary on the North American plate near the San Andreas Fault as a result of two plates sliding past each other.
Earthquake #2: On October 8, 2011 at 3:08 AM a 4.5 magnitude earthquake, with a focus depth of 591.4 km (367.5 miles), struck the Fiji Region (17.908°S, 178.544°W) on the Fiji Plate. This earthquake occurred along a convergent boundary as the result of an oceanic-to-oceanic plate collision. An older, heavier oceanic plate sunk beneath a younger, less dense oceanic plate causing the movement.
Earthquake #3: On October 5, 2011 at 9:52 PM a 5.4 magnitude earthquake, with a focus depth of 10.1 km (6.3 miles), struck the Reykjanes Ridge (57.883°N, 32.563°W) in the North Atlantic Ocean near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This earthquake occurred along a divergent boundary as two oceanic plates moved away from each other, a process called seafloor spreading.
Earthquake #4: On October 6, 2011 at 10:56 AM a 5.1 magnitude earthquake, with a focus depth of 98.1 km (61.0 miles), struck Tarapaca, Chili (19.642°S, 69.067°W) on the South American Plate. This oceanic-continental plate collision occurred along a convergent boundary when an oceanic plate sunk beneath the continental plate.
Earthquake #5: On October 5, 2011 at 10:40 PM at 4.9 magnitude earthquake, with a focus depth of 16.1 km (10.0 miles), struck Southern Xinjiang, China (38.337°N, 87.274°E) on the Eurasian Plate. This earthquake was caused by a continental-continental plate collision. Neither plate was dense enough to overpower the other causing great stress, known as compression.
Part 2 – Volcanoes
For this portion of the assignment, using Google Earth, I researched four volcanoes. Each volcano included for this assignment inclues information on what type of volcano it is, where it is located and what type of boundary it is on.
Volcano #1: Santa María, a composite volcano, is the most active in Guatemala. It is on a convergent boundary between two oceanic Plates, the Cocos Plate and the Caribbean Plate. It was formed approximately 30,000 years ago when the Cocos and Caribbean plates collided. Santa María has a sharp top cone shape with steep sides which lava flows can be seen spreading down.
Volcano #2: San Félix, located 800 km west of the Chilean coast, is a shield volcano with a platform of lava and two tuff cones formed by magma-water eruptions. San Félix ia hotspot volcano not located on a tectonic plate boundary.
Volcano #3: The Sunset Crater is one of many cinder cone volcanoes included in the San Francisco Mountain volcanic field located in Northern Arizona. It is a relatively flat topped, cone-shaped volcano with steep sides named after the bright colored scoria cones it produced. Along with 600 other volcanoes in the Flagstaff area, Sunset Crater sits over a geologic hot spot.
Volcano #4: Fisher is located on the the Fox Islands, part of the Aleutian arc, which lies between the Pacific and North American plate boundaries. Fisher is one of the largest caldera volcanoes found in the Aleutian Islands. Because is Fisher located on a small island, it is affected by oceanic-to-oceanic plates on a convergent boundary.
Part 3 – Reflection
If you were to look at a map of tectonic plate boundaries, you would see that they are located where volcanoes and earthquakes have taken place over time. This is no coincidence. We’ve learned from years of studying the Earth that most earthquakes and volcanoes occur because of a change in plate boundaries. Plates can be destroyed, new ones can be formed and they can gradually shift, sink, collide or move away from each other. All of these changes have the potential to cause natural disasters, including earthquakes and volcanoes.
In terms of understanding earthquakes, it’s important also to understand faults. A fault is a fracture or fracture system where rocks have been moved and pushed against each other on the Earth’s surface. The process of faulting occurs when the stress of movement on a fault can no longer withstand the pressure, releasing energy and causing a displacement with the rocks. When enough energy is released, there is the potential for earthquakes near that fault line. Most faults are well known and monitored closely for movement and action. One example would be the San Andreas Fault bordering the coast of California. Shifts in the Earth’s surface along this fault are responsible for numerous earthquakes that have struck California over many years.
The spreading and (or) sinking of plates shows us the connection between volcanoes and plate tectonics. Volcanoes can be formed when earthquakes occur and force a change in the plate or through the slow movement of the Earth’s surface. When a shift is forced or movement takes place, the magma beneath the Earth’s surface is pushed up between plates or at a weak point of the surface and spews through a volcanic vent. The type of volcano will vary depending on where it is located and which type of plate boundary it’s on – convergent, divergent or transform. Divergent boundaries move away from each other, convergent boundaries collide and transform faults occur when two plates slide past each other. Through the examples shown in this project, you’ll see how each volcano is formed based on the boundary it lies on.
Prior to studying earthquakes and volcanoes in this course, I had very little knowledge of the subject. The theory of plate tectonics and how they relate to natural disasters was foreign to me. It was extremely interesting to interact with Google Earth and the added plug-ins that were introduced through this course. I had no idea how many earthquakes take place in a given week and the variation of how affected people will be. I found that some earthquakes were minimal and barely felt while others were more significant and did impact people in the area.
I also found it quite interesting how many volcanoes exist throughout the world and how each volcano is different. My understanding was incomplete and I viewed each volcano the same as the next. Seeing physical distinctions and visually researching them helped to put it in perspective. The correlation between plate tectonics, earthquakes and volcanoes is much clearer now and actually very intriguing to me now that I have a better understanding of the process.
My view of natural disasters has definitely evolved through studying the concepts of this class. Being exposed to the facts has allowed me to see disasters for what they truly are and the science behind them. An earthquake isn’t just the ground shaking anymore, it’s a shift in tectonic plates and a magnitude describing how much energy was released in the process. When you have the knowledge of why something happens the way it does, it’s easier to get involved in new ways and look for opportunities to use that knowledge and add to it.
I also see the importance of being properly prepared for such disasters to happen. Knowing that the force that is building up below us and that disaster could hit at any moment is a wakeup call. We can’t live our lives in fear, but I believe many people are ignorant to the potential disaster lurking around us. If we can guard ourselves with knowledge of what’s coming and what we need to do to be ready, we will be in a much better state to handle a catastrophe when it happens.
This was assigned in my Math 1050 class. The purpose of this assignment was to use financial models to compare the interest rates on 30 year and 15 year mortgages.
This quote was inspired by Vince Lombardi. Handwritten in the Foundational hand for Art 1060 at Salt Lake Community College.
In my Comm 1080 class, we were assigned to write a journal of insights we’ve learned and taken from our Conflict Management class. This is something I’ve written on the topic of cultural diversity as it pertains to me.
Even across the United States, where it seems that people would be the same from east to west, there are different cultures that may not be apparent at first glance. Growing up in Utah, I’ve been somewhat protected from certain lifestyles and naïve to what’s on the “outside”. In the past couple of months, I’ve traveled to several different states for work and had to adjust to people and new surroundings. My first trip to Florida was a bit of a shock, but quite a learning experience from me. I realized that if I’m unable to look past differences from my own culture, I am likely to fail at my job which is about establishing, building and maintaining customer relationships.
“If a specific group of people with cultural or other differences is having difficulties in your workplace, the best thing may be to study that group’s culture or difference.” Even if this is not the intention of the message, I applied it my circumstance by taking the opportunity to learn more about my customers and who they are outside of work (without digging too deep). I believe that learning about them, their state and their culture allows me to better understand why they do certain things in the workplace and build a better bridge of communication. If I’m focusing on the differences and not able to find common ground, there becomes an opening for conflict or misunderstandings.
Sometimes it’s hard to branch out and move out of our comfort zones, but I feel like I can learn and mature from the opportunities I have. I will be a better person if I can overcome differences and understand different people and cultures, even if it’s just from state to state.
How do you handle diversity with different cultures?
Sonnenschein, William. The Diversity Toolkit. Retrieved from Week 5 e-Reserve. <http://ereserve.slcc.edu/eres/coursepage.aspx?cid=30&page=docs>
This was assigned in my Math 1010 class. The assignment was to graph and analyze Utah’s population from 1980 – 2008. See page 3 of the document for a complete list of instructions for this project.
The Reel Paper assignment was given in my Comm 1050 class. The assignment was to pick a theory from the course material, then choose a movie and write a paper on how the theory is used throughout the film. I chose to write about Symbolic Convergence in Remember the Titans.
As a student at Salt Lake Community College I have accomplished a great deal. I am preparing for graduation with an Associates Degree in 2011. Here is a small glimpse of the work I have completed during my tenure.
Natalie R. Smith 