attached
HOMEWORK #4 – 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 #4 links provided on
D2L, complete the following three analyses. I recommend downloading this file, typing your answers directly into it,
and then saving it with a different file name. When finished, submit your assignment to the appropriate D2L dropbox;
see your syllabus and D2L for due date. DO NOT ANALYZE THE SAME EVENTS AS YOUR FRIENDS!
***********************************
Earthquake – 5.0 or higher
(See USGS link; choose a 5.0 or higher from last 30 days.)
Choose an 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+ Worldwide.” Also, make sure that the “Plate Boundaries” option is also checked. 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.
Date and Year of Quake (see USGS site) Start Typing Here>>>>>
Exact UTC Time of Quake (see USGS site) Start Typing Here>>>>>
Magnitude and Depth (see USGS site) Start Typing Here>>>>>
Location (see tips at the end) Start Typing Here>>>>>
Specific Type of Plate Boundary (see your notes and links to plate maps) Start Typing Here>>>>>
Names of the Two Plates Involved (see links to plate maps) Start Typing Here>>>>>
Name of Trench, Subduction Zone, OR Mid-Ocean Ridge (see links to trench and ridge maps) Start
Typing Here>>>>>
Types of Faults Likely Present (see your notes) Start Typing Here>>>>>
New or Ongoing Volcanic Eruption
(See Smithsonian link)
Go to the Smithsonian link, look at the map (and/or scroll down the page), and choose a new or ongoing volcanic eruption
occurring at or near a tectonic plate boundary. (*By the way, stratovolcano and composite volcano mean the same thing.)
Name of Volcano (see Smithsonian site) Start Typing Here>>>>>
Date or Date Range of Eruption (see Smithsonian site) Start Typing Here>>>>>
Location (see tips at the end) Start Typing Here>>>>>
Specific Type of Plate Boundary (see your notes and links to plate maps) Start Typing Here>>>>>
Names of the Two Plates Involved (see links to plate maps) Start Typing Here>>>>>
Name of Trench, Subduction Zone, OR Mid-Ocean Ridge (see links to trench and ridge maps) 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>>>>>
Mass Movement (landslides, mudflows, etc)
(See NASA link provided; choose one
from the last 12 months.)
A mass movement refers to any movement of earth materials (not icebergs) 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.
Date of Event (include day, month, and year) Start Typing Here>>>>>
Location (see tips 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, what 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>>>>>
Tips on Location:
Be as specific as possible. 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 June 2017