Earthquake Cycle Deformation and GPS: A Quantitative Computer-Based Activity for Undergraduate Students
Abstract
Earthquake cycle deformation and geodetic measurements of tectonic strain are well represented in recent peer-reviewed literature; however, because of the quantitative nature of these topics, students are often given only a conceptual description of these processes and techniques at the undergraduate level. Here, I present a computer-based assignment appropriate for Sophomore-level undergraduate students in either a structural geology, tectonics, or geophysics course. The assignment introduces students to the classic analytical earthquake cycle equations for a vertical strike-slip fault. While the equations alone are relatively non-intuitive for understanding earthquake cycle deformation, modern computer applications (e.g Maple, Excel, Matlab, Mathematica, etc…) can be used to easily produce graphs of the equations that are much more meaningful for understanding tectonics. The advantage of having students create their own plots is that once the plots have been created, students can tweak model parameters (locking depth and slip rate) to see how the resultant deformation would change. Thus, the students can effectively create their own earthquake cycle deformation tool that can be tweaked to fit real or hypothetical data. The assignment ends by having students determine the interseismic slip rate and locking depth on the San Andreas fault given actual Plate Boundary Observatory Data that is provided to them. The overarching goals of the assignment are to encourage students to make their own tools and graphics for learning new concepts and to encourage the next generation of geologists to pursue quantitative tectonic studies in their academic and/or professional futures.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2012
- Bibcode:
- 2012AGUFMED43E..05M
- Keywords:
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- 0825 EDUCATION / Teaching methods;
- 0825 EDUCATION / Teaching methods;
- 1209 GEODESY AND GRAVITY / Tectonic deformation;
- 8111 TECTONOPHYSICS / Continental tectonics: strike-slip and transform