SCIENCE REVIEWER
• Fault – fracture in Earth’s crust where rocks move.
• Focus (Hypocenter) – point underground where rupture starts.
• Epicenter – point on surface directly above focus; strongest shaking.
• Seismic Waves – energy waves radiating outward from focus.
• Fault Plane – surface of slip.
• Foreshocks – small quakes before main shock.
• Aftershocks – smaller quakes after main shock.
Stress builds on a fault — sudden slip at focus — waves radiate — strongest at
epicenter — foreshocks & aftershocks may follow.
LESSON 1
What is an Earthquake?
• Sudden slip on a fault → energy release → seismic waves.
• Occurs in crust/upper mantle (0–800 km deep).
Ring of Fire
• Circum-Pacific Belt: 40,000 km horseshoe-shaped zone.
• Has most volcanoes & earthquake epicenters.
• Includes Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, Americas, etc.
Faults
• Fractures in rock where movement occurs.
• Can move rapidly (earthquake) or slowly (creep).
Types of Faults
• Normal Fault – block above fault moves down (tension).
• Reverse/Thrust Fault – block above moves up (compression).
• Strike-Slip Fault – horizontal movement (left- or right-lateral).
• Oblique-Slip Fault – combination of vertical & horizontal motion.
LESSON 2
Focus vs Epicenter
• Focus (Hypocenter) – underground starting point of quake.
• Epicenter – surface point above focus, strongest shaking.
Type Depth Notes
Shallow < 70 km Most destructive
Intermediate < 70–300 km Moderate
Deep < 300+ km Rare (~3%), least
destructive
• 90% of quakes occur <100 km deep.
Magnitude vs Intensity
• Magnitude – energy released (Richter Scale).
• Intensity – effects on people/structures (Modified Mercalli Scale I–XII).
Measurement
• Seismograph — records seismic waves as a seismogram.
• Richter Scale (1935) – logarithmic magnitude.
• Modified Mercalli Scale (1902) – intensity, based on effects.
Fault Activity
• Active Fault – movement within last 10,000 years; may quake again.
• Inactive Fault – no activity within the last 10,000 years.
Philippine Fault Zone (PFZ)
• Most extensive fault system (~1,200 km).
• Segments:
1. West Valley Fault (WVF) – Metro Manila (QC, Marikina, Pasig, Makati,
Taguig, Muntinlupa).
2. East Valley Fault (EVF) – Rizal, ~17 km.
3. South of Mindanao Fault – includes Cotabato Fault.
4. Central PH Fault – Guinayangan, Masbate, Central Leyte.
5. Valley Fault System (VFS) – Aurora → Laguna & Cavite.
LESSON 3
Seismic Waves
• Vibrations caused by quakes, eruptions, explosions.
• Studied by seismologists, measured by seismographs.
Types
— Body Waves (travel inside Earth)
• P Waves (Primary): compressional, fastest, solids/liquids/gases, parallel
motion.
• S Waves (Secondary): transverse, slower, solids only, perpendicular motion.
— Surface Waves (travel along surface)
• Rayleigh Waves: rolling motion, slowest, most destructive.
• Love Waves: side-to-side snake-like motion, fast, damages structures.
Earth’s Interior from Waves
• Seismic wave refraction/reflection proves Earth has layers (crust, mantle,
core).
• Shadow Zone – S waves blocked by liquid core.
LESSON 4
What is a Tropical Cyclone?
• Intense storm from warm oceans (>26 °C).
• Low pressure, strong winds, heavy rain.
• Names: Hurricane (Atlantic), Typhoon (W. Pacific), Cyclone (Indian
Ocean/S. Pacific).
• Local PH term: Bagyo.
Formation
1. Warm water heats air — air rises.
2. Low pressure forms — surrounding air rushes in.
3. Moist air condenses — releases heat.
4. Heat causes more rising — system spins — cyclone forms.
Parts
• Eye – calm center, lowest pressure.
• Eyewall – strongest winds, most destructive.
• Rainbands – spiral clouds, heavy rains & winds.
Typhoons in the Philippines
• PH: ~20 per year.
• Effects: flooding, landslides, storm surges, destruction.
• Most affected: Luzon, Bicol, Eastern Visayas.
• Less frequent in Mindanao.
Monitoring & Warning
• PAR (Philippine Area of Responsibility) – PAGASA monitoring zone.
• Public Storm Warning Signals (PSWS) – intensity, affected areas, track,
speed.
LESSON 5
Asteroids
• Made of: Rock, metals (iron & nickel), and minerals.
• Size: Small to hundreds of kilometers wide.
• Appearance: Big rocky object in space, no tail.
• Origin: Mostly found in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter.
• Importance: Composition helps scientists understand Earth and other
planets, impacts in the past influenced Earth’s history and possibly life.
Comets
• Made of: Ice, dust, rock, and gases (like sodium, argon).
• Parts: Nucleus (solid center), Coma (gas cloud), Tail (ions pushed by solar
wind).
• Origin: Kuiper Belt and/or Oort Cloud.
• Size: Usually smaller than asteroids.
• As they approach the Sun, ice melts — forms glowing coma and long tail
pointing away from the Sun.
• Importance: Studying comets helps explain how Earth got water and became
habitable.
• Belief: Leftovers from the early formation of the Solar System.
Meteoroids, Meteors, and Meteorites
• Meteoroid: Small pieces of rock/metal, fragments from asteroids or comets,
orbiting the Sun.
• Meteor (“Shooting Star”): A meteoroid that burns up in Earth’s atmosphere
—seen as a bright streak of light.
• Meteorite: If a meteoroid survives the atmosphere and lands on Earth.
• Made of: Rock, metal, or dust.
• Size: Usually very small.
Similarities of all three
• All orbit the Sun.
• All have irregular shapes (not spherical like planets).
• Can sometimes be seen in the night sky (with telescopes, except meteors
which are visible to the naked eye).
• Provide important scientific clues about the early Solar System.
SUMMARY
The Solar System contains not only planets and moons but also small celestial
bodies like comets, asteroids, and meteoroids.
• Asteroids are rocky and metallic objects, mostly in the Asteroid Belt.
• Comets are icy bodies from the Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud that develop
glowing tails when near the Sun.
• Meteoroids are small fragments of rock or metal; when they enter Earth’s
atmosphere, they become meteors (shooting stars), and if they reach the ground,
they are called meteorites.
Scientists study these bodies to better understand the formation of the Solar
System, the composition of planets, and the history of Earth.
