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 MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCY (MELC)-BASED IN SCIENCE GRADE 8
SECOND (2ND) QUARTER EARTH AND SPACE
Proponent: ROBIN B. HULIPAS, T III PITOMBAYOG NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

WEEK 1 ;PRE-REQUISITE CONCEPTS

Different rocks in the world have been

It’s Your FAULT
subjected to both folding and faulting actions.
These actions are caused by STRESS. By
MATERIAL NEEDED
understanding how rocks respond to stress, we
Piece of Paper/ Coupon Bond
can try to understand a region’s geologic past
PROCEDURE
and the structural evolution of an area. This can
Get a piece of paper or coupon bond.
be done by observing regionally widespread
Lay it flat on the table. Lay your hands
patterns of rock deformation.
on the paper, palms down, with hands
What is Stress? touching each other. Pres with both
hands and then push the right hand
Stress is the application of force on an area or
forward and pull the left hand back
object. If you lean against a table, you are
toward you.
putting some stress on it. A strain is when the
GUIDE QUESTION
table moves, so strain is the change in shape or
What happens to the paper?
volume.
The paper will tear similar to fault.
Plastic strain occurs when stress is applied to an
object, and it becomes deformed ‐ and then
stays in that same (new) shape ‐ it doesn't
resume its original shape.Example : Folded
rocks have been subjected to a plastic strain. Which picture demonstrate
folding or faulting?
Elastic strain happens when an object is
deformed, and then when the stress is
removed, it returns to its original shape. But ‐ if
you exceed an objects elastic limit, then the
object will break and shatter. (Just like with a
plastic ruler, or a length of uncooked
spaghetti.)

Example : Faulting (or fracturing) occurs when

the strain exceeds the elastic limit of a material,
and the rock breaks or fracture Answer:

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 KEY CONCEPTS

Stress can build up in rocks when a force is applied to the rocks. The movement of the Earth’s
crust plates can cause stress to build up in rocks. When the stress is suddenly released due
to rock failure – an earthquake can occur. The moment when the release of the stress is
often unpredictable. This is why earthquakes are some difficult to predict and why
rescue/response authorities are faced with difficulties.

WHAT IS FAULT?

The outer crust of the Earth is divided into huge plates, much like a cracked eggshell.
Driven by convection currents that permit heat to escape from the Earth’s interior, the plates
move at a rate of about a ½ inch to 4 inches per year, displacing continental land masses and
ocean floor alike. The forces that move the plates create stresses within the Earth’s crust and
can cause the crust to suddenly fracture. The area of contact between the two fractured crustal
masses is called a fault. Earthquakes result from sudden movements along faults, creating a
release of energy. Movement along a fault can be horizontal, vertical, or both.

Vocabularies

TERMS AND DEFINITION ILLUSTRATION

FAULT
A fracture in the Earth’s crust where one side
moves relative to the other. Sudden
movements in faults cause earthquakes.
The fault plane in this diagram is the area of
contact between the two fault blocks. Fault
planes may contain striations or slickensides
that can indicate the direction of fault motion.

FAULT BLOCKS
Fault blocks represent blocks of the Earth’s
crust. Each color represents a layer of the
Earth, while the diagonal black lines represent
faults in the Earth’s crust.
In this position, the fault blocks represent
upfaulted, or unmoved, crust.

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FOOT WALL
A foot wall is a block of crust that lies
underneath a fault plane.
Hint for Identification: If a person were able to
stand on the fault plane, their feet would be
on the foot wall.

HANGING WALL

A hanging wall is a block of crust that is

located above a fault plane. Its shape rests or
hangs on the foot wall.

Hint for Identification: If a person were able to

stand on the fault plane, they could hang onto
the hanging wall.

TYPES OF FAULT ILLUSTRATION

NORMAL FAULT

In this position, the hanging wall moved down

relative to the foot wall, indicating normal
fault activity. This picture shows that the
central hanging wall moved down relative to
the other foot walls. When a hanging wall
moves down, a cliff face is formed, called a
“fault scarp.”
REVERSE FAULT

In this position, the hanging wall moved up

relative to the foot wall, indicating reverse
fault activity. The picture shows that the
central hanging wall was pushed up relative to
the foot wall.

STRIKE-SLIP FAULT

In this position, the blocks of crust have

laterally moved relative to each other,
indicating strike-slip fault activity. Lateral, or
side-to-side, motion does not produce a fault
scarp but can create weaker areas of rock
where fault blocks slide past one another.

1. Draw a cross-section of a 2. What are the three types of faults

normal fault in the space generated in the Earth’s crust? Use
below. Label the following vocabulary terms, such as “hanging
vocabulary terms on your 3 wall” and “foot wall,” to describe
drawing: fault, foot wall, each fault.
hanging wall.
 MATERIALS
Colored pencils or crayons
Scissors
Tape

Using a sample printable material below students will create three-dimensional (3-D)
blocks out of paper to learn about the types of faulting that occur at the Earth’s
surface and its interior. Students will manipulate three fault blocks to demonstrate a
normal fault, reverse fault, and strike-slip fault, and explain how movement along a
fault generates earthquakes because of the sudden release of energy in the Earth’s
crust.
(Note: Students may create their own version of 3d block)

Reflective Questions:

What is the relationship between faults and earthquakes? Ask students to

demonstrate the types of faulting that form from compressional forces.

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EARTHQUAKE FOCUS AND EPICENTERS
What is an Earthquake?

An earthquake is a trembling or a
shaking movement of the ground, caused by
the slippage or rupture of a fault within the When you throw a stone
Earth's crust. A sudden slippage or rupture pond, waves move
along a fault line results in an abrupt release outward in all directions. In a
of elastic energy stored in rocks that are similar manner, when rocks in
subjected to great strain. This energy can be Earth’s crust break, earthquakes
built up and stored over a long time and then occur, and earthquake waves
released in seconds or minutes. Strain on the travel through Earth in all
rocks results in more elastic energy being direction.
stored which leads to far greater possibility
of an earthquake event. The sudden release
of energy during an earthquake causes low-
frequency sound waves called seismic waves
to propagate through the Earth's crust or
along its surface.

When an earthquake occurs only a

part of fault is involved in the rupture. That
area is usually outlined by the distribution of
aftershocks in the sequence. Some faults are deep inside Earth. Others are close to or at Earth’s
surface. Most faults occur between the surface and a depth of 74 km.

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 The location below the earth’s surface where the earthquake starts is called the hypocenter or
focus. The focus is the underground point of origin of an earthquake. The location directly above
it on the surface of the earth is called the
epicenter. Earthquake waves reach the epicenter
first. This is where the most violent shaking of the
ground occurs. To plot earthquake locations on a
map, the epicenter must be located first

Each year, more than a million

earthquakes occur. Most of these are so small that
people do not feel the Earth shaking. But a few are
large enough that people feel them, and a few of Figure 1: Illustration of focus and
those are so large that they cause significant
damage.

Earthquakes cause damage to buildings and other built structures like bridges and
roads. Earthquakes can also trigger landslides and mudslides. A large earthquake that happens
under the ocean can form a tsunami - a giant ocean wave or series of waves that can cause
massive destruction if it hits a populated coastal area.

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1. What is the main cause of earthquakes?
2. How does an earthquake generate a tsunami? Why are tsunamis
disastrous?
3. Why is it important to determine the epicenter of an earthquake?
4. Label the focus and epicenter.
MEASURING STRENGHTS OF EARTHQUAKE

During an earthquake, vibrations caused by the breakage of rock along a fault zone radiate
outward from the point of rupture. The instrument used to record and measure these
vibrations is called a seismograph.

A seismometer is the internal part of the seismograph, which may be a pendulum or a mass
mounted on a spring; however, it is often used synonymously with "seismograph".

A seismograph is securely mounted onto the surface

of the earth so that when the earth shakes, the entire
unit shakes with it EXCEPT for the mass on the spring,
which has inertia and remains in the same place. As
the seismograph shakes under the mass, the
recording device on the mass records the relative
motion between itself and the rest of the instrument,
thus recording the ground motion.

Seismographs are used to determine:

✓ Magnitude: the size of the

earthquake
✓ Depth: how deep the earthquake was
✓ Location: where the earthquake SEISMOGRAPH
occurred

A seismogram is the recording of the ground shaking at the specific location of the
instrument. On a seismogram, the HORIZONTAL axis = time (measured in seconds) and the
VERTICAL axis= ground displacement (usually measured in millimeters). When there is NO
EARTHQUAKE reading, there is just a straight line except for small wiggles caused by local
disturbance or "noise" and the time markers. Seismograms are digital now - there are no more
paper recordings.
Earthquakes can be measured in two ways. One method is based on magnitude—the
amount of energy released at the earthquake source. The other is based on intensity—how
much the ground shakes at a specific location

The magnitude of earthquake is determined from measurements on seismographs and

measured according to the Richter Scale. The Richter Scale measures how much energy an
earthquake releases by assigning the earthquake a number from 1 to 10. The number indicates
how strong the earthquake is. The more energy an earthquake releases, the stronger the
earthquake. Each number on the Richter scale represents an earthquake ten times stronger
than an earthquake represented by the preceding number. Any number above 6 indicates a
very destructive earthquake

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 The
intensity is a
number (written as a Roman numeral) describing the severity of an earthquake in terms of its
effects on the earth's surface and on humans and their structures. Several scales exist, but
the ones most commonly used are States are the Modified Mercalli scale and PHIVOLCS
Earthquake Intensity Scale (PEIS). There are many intensities for an earthquake, depending on

where you are, unlike the magnitude, which is one number for each earthquake

PHIVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale (PEIS)

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 Notice that intensity scales are based on effects of earthquakes that depend not only
on the severity of the ground shaking but also on factors such as population density, building
design, and the nature of surface materials. Thus, the amount of damage caused by an
earthquake depends not only on the earthquake’s strength but also on the population of the
area affected, the strength of the buildings in the area and the time at which the earthquake
occurs

Notice that intensity scales are based on effects of earthquakes that depend not only
on the severity of the ground shaking but also on factors such as population density, building
design, and the nature of surface materials. Thus, the amount of damage caused by an
earthquake depends not only on the earthquake’s strength but also on the population of the
area affected, the strength of the buildings in the area and the time at which the earthquake
occurs

1. How is strength of an earthquake measured?

2. The magnitude of an earthquake in an area was recorded as 7.
A year after, another earthquake with a magnitude of 8 was
recorded in another area. Infer the damages in two areas given
the magnitudes of the earthquakes that struck them.

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 I. OBJECTIVES
✓ Construct a model of seismograph
✓ Interpret seismograph reading
II. MATERIALS Think of an experience

Black marker/pen long bow

ndhepnapeyrou felt tap ne earthquake
Scissors unsharpened pencil shook yo 1u
.5r L bhootutslee filolerd w
scithhool.
water string Recall the situations and narrate
III. PROCEDURES how you and your family reacted
Constructing Seismograph to the tremor. Do you think there

1. Place the 1.5 L bottle with water on the table awnadssescoumreew thiitnhgtapthea. t could be
2. With the tape, attach one end of the unsharpein mepdropveendciilnoynotuhrerbeoatctlieoncos?ver
3.Hang the marker on the other end of the pencil using string and tape. Make sure
that the tip touches the surface of the table.
Constructing Seismograph Paper
1. Fold the long bond paper lengthwise.
2. With the ruler and colored pencil, draw a straight line perpendicular to the fold.
3.Number this 1-10 at 1 cm interval. Start 0 at the middle. These numbers will
indicate the magnitude of the earthquake.
4.Place the paper on the table. Align the fold with the tip of the marker
IV. GUIDE QUESTIONS
1. Try to move the table. What was formed on the paper when the table was
moved?
2. Did the strength of the table’s movement affect the height of the wave drawn on
the paper?
3. In the measurement, indicate the actual magnitude of the earthquake
4.How can measuring the magnitude of earthquakes help communities in
preventing future earthquake-related disasters?

THINGS TO DO BEFORE , DURING AND AFTER EARTHQUAKE

What to Do Before an Earthquake

✓ Make sure you have a fire extinguisher, first aid kit, a battery-powered radio, a
flashlight, and extra batteries at home.
✓ Learn first aid.
✓ Make up a plan of where to meet your family after an earthquake.
✓ Don't leave heavy objects on shelves (they'll fall during a quake).
✓ Anchor heavy furniture, cupboards, and appliances to the walls or floor.
✓ Learn the earthquake plan at your school or workplace.

What to Do During an Earthquake

✓ Stay calm! If you're indoors, stay inside. If you're outside, stay outside.

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 ✓ If you're indoors, stand against a wall near the center of the building, stand in a
doorway, or crawl under heavy furniture (a
desk or table). Stay away from windows and
outside doors.
1. Should construction be stopped in ✓ If you're outdoors, stay in the open
potential earthquake areas? Will away from power lines or anything that might
people allowed to live wherever fall. Stay away from buildings
they want to, despite the danger? ✓ If you're in a car, stop the car and stay
2. What other precautionary inside the car until the earthquake stops.
measures do you think the ✓ Don't use elevators (they'll probably
government should adopt to help get stuck anyway).
the people prepare for
earthquake? What to Do After an Earthquake
3. Create measures on how you can
help your community in the ✓ Check yourself and others for
following events injuries. Provide first aid for anyone who needs
a. Prepare for earthquakes it.
b. During an earthquake ✓ Check water, gas, and electric lines
c. After an earthquake for damage. If any are damaged, shut off the
valves. Check for the smell of gas. If you smell
it, open all the windows and doors, leave immediately, and report it to the authorities
✓ Turn on the radio. Don't use the phone unless it's an emergency.
✓ Stay out of damaged buildings.
✓ Be careful around broken glass and debris. Wear boots or sturdy shoes to keep from
cutting your feet.
✓ Stay away from beaches. Tsunamis and seiches sometimes hit after the ground has
stopped shaking.
✓ Stay away from damaged areas.
✓ If you're at school or work, follow the emergency plan or the instructions of the person
in charge.

Studying the Earth’s Interior

Scientists tried to explore and study the interior of the Earth. Yet, until today, there are
no mechanical probes or actual explorations done to totally discover the deepest region of the
Earth.

The Earth is made up of three layers: the crust, the mantle, and the core. The study of
these layers is mostly done in the Earth’s crust since mechanical probes are impossible due to
the tremendous heat and very high pressure underneath the Earth’s surface.

Seismic waves from earthquakes are used to analyze the composition and internal
structure of the Earth.

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What are Seismic Waves?

Earthquake waves are known as

seismic waves.

Seismic waves are the waves of

energy caused by the sudden breaking ofrock
within Earth or an explosion. They are the Materials
energy that travels through Earth and is Tuning fork, pencil, glass
recorded on seismograph. Scientists learn of water, string
much about earthquakes and the interior of
Procedures
the Earth by studying the propagation of
seismic waves. Seismic waves can be Strike the prongs of the tuning fork
distinguished by a number of properties and then place the ends of the
including the speed the waves travel, the prongs in the glass of water.
direction that the waves move particles as What do you observe?
they pass by, and where they do not
propagate. Then tie the cork to the strings.
Hold the string in one hand so that
The two main types of seismic waves are the cork swings freely. Strike the
body waves and surface waves. prongs of the tuning fork and hold
one prong against the cork.
I. SURFACE WAVES
What happens?
Surface waves can only travel
through the surface of the Earth. They arrive The vibrations that you observed
after the main P and S waves and are simulate the movements of the
confined to the outer layers of the Earth. seismic waves.

TYPES OF SURFACE WAVES

LOVE WAVE

Love wave is named after Augustus Edward

Hough Love, a British mathematician who
worked out the mathematical model for this
kind of wave in 1911. It is faster than Rayleigh
wave and it moves the ground in a side-to-side
horizontal motion, like that of a snake’s causing
the ground to twist. This is why Love waves
cause the most damage to structures during an
earthquake.

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RAYLEIGH WAVE

It was named after John William Strutt, Lord

Rayleigh, who mathematically predicted the
existence of this kind of wave in 1885. A
Rayleigh wave rolls along the ground just like
a wave rolls across a lake or an ocean. Since it
rolls, it moves the ground either up and down
or side-to-side similar to the direction of the
wave’s movement. Most of the shaking felt
from an earthquake is due to the Rayleigh
wave.

II. BODY WAVES

Body waves can travel through the Earth’s inner layers. With this characteristic of
the body waves, they are used by scientists to study the Earth’s interior. These
waves are of a higher frequency than the surface waves.

TYPES OF BODY WAVES

P WAVE OR PRIMARY WAVE

The P-wave (primary wave) is a pulse energy

that travels quickly through the Earth and
through liquids. The P-wave travels faster than
the S-wave. After an earthquake, it reaches a
detector first (the reason why it is called
primary). The P-waves also called
compressional waves, travel by particles
vibrating parallel to the direction the wave
travel. They force the ground to move
backward and forward as they arecompressed
and expanded. Most importantly, they travel
through solids, liquids and gases.

S WAVE OR SECONDARY WAVES

S Wave is a pulse energy that travels

slower than a P-wave through Earth and
solids. The S-waves move as shear or
transverse waves and force the ground to
sway from side to side, in rolling motion
that shakes the ground back and forth
perpendicular to the direction of the
waves. The idea that the S-waves cannot
travel through any liquid medium led
seismologists to conclude that the outer
core is liquid.

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HOW DO EARTHQUAKE WAVES REVEAL THE INTERIOR OF THE EARTH?

By tracking seismic waves, scientist have learned what makes up the earth’s interior.

▪ P WAVES
✓ P-waves can travel through
liquids while S-waves cannot.
During an earthquake, the
seismic waves radiate from the
focus. Based on figure on the
right, the waves bend due to
change in density of the
medium. As the depth
increases, the density also
increases.
✓ P waves slow down at the
mantle core boundary, so we
know the outer core is less rigid
than the mantle
✓ P-waves are detected on the
other side of the Earth opposite
the focus. A shadow zone from Seismic waves as they travel through the Earth
103° to 142° exists from P-waves
as shown in the picture. Since P-

waves are detected until 103°, disappear from 103° to 142°, then reappear again,
something inside the Earth must be bending the P-waves. The existence of a shadow
zone, according to German seismologist Beno Gutenberg (ɡuː t ən bɛʁk), could only be
explained if the Earth contained a core composed of a material different from that of
the mantle causing the bending of the P-waves.

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 S WAVES

✓ S Waves disappear at the

mantle core boundary, so the outer
Determine which types of waves
core is liquid
would be able to pass through the various
✓ S-waves are detected until
solid layers of Earth. Label each with o
103 , from that point, S- waves are no
either P, S, or P and S Waves (if either type
longer detected. This observation tells
of wave is possible) to indicate which
us that the S-waves do not travel all
type(s) of body waves could be
throughout the Earth’s body. There is a
represented by that box.
portion inside the Earth that does not
conduct the propagation of S-wave.
Hence, knowing the
properties and characteristics of S-
waves (that it cannot travel through
liquids), and with the idea that P-waves
are bent to some degree, this portion
must be made of liquid, thus the outer
core.
✓ The outer part of the core is
liquid based from the production of an
S wave shadow and the inner part
must be solid with a different density
than the rest of the surrounding
material

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List the facts you have learned about earthquakes and faults in the
first box and write what you have learned about them in the second

_ _

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 WORD SEARCH
Search for the related words in this diagram about earthquakes and faults

EARTHQUAKES FAULTS HANGING WALL FOOT WALL

REVERSE FAULT STRESS STRAIN FOCUS EPICENTER

SEISMIC WAVES SEISMOGRAPH SEISMOGRAM P WAVES

S WAVES TSUNAMI RICHTER SCALE MAGNITUDE
INTENSITY PHIVOLCS MERCALLI SCALE

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PRE REQUISITE CONCEPTS

TROPICAL CYCLONES

Oceans and seas have great influence on

the weather of continental masses. A large portion
of the solar energy reaching the sea-surface is
expended in the process of evaporation. These Have you experienced strong
waters evaporated from the sea/ocean is carried up typhoon? You may have
into the atmosphere and condenses, formingclouds experienced the effects of
from which all forms of precipitation result. typhoon Yolanda when it hits the
Sometimes, intense cyclonic circulations occur Philippines? How did typhoon
which is what we call the tropical cyclones. Yolanda affect you and your
family? If you were not prepared
Tropical cyclones are warm-core low when this typhoon hit your area,
pressure systems associated with a spiral inflow of
what could you have done to
mass at the bottom level and spiral outflow at the prepare you and your family?
top level. They always form over oceans where sea
surface temperature, also air temperatures are
greater than 26°C. The air accumulates large
amounts of sensible and latent heat as it spirals
towards the center. It receives this heat from the
sea and the exchange can occur rapidly, because
of the large amount of spray thrown into the air
by the wind. The energy of the tropical cyclone is
thus derived from the massive liberation of the
latent heat of condensation.

Tropical cyclone In other parts of the

world, these are referred to as hurricanes,
typhoons or simply tropical cyclones
depending on the region. In the North Atlantic, Map of the Philippines with typhoon
Eastern North Pacific and South Pacific Ocean,

they are called "hurricanes". In the bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and Western South Indian Ocean,
the name is "cyclonic". In the eastern part of the Southern Indian Ocean, it is "willy-willy", and
in the Western North Pacific Ocean, they are called "typhoons".

Tropical cyclones can only form over oceans of the world except in the South Atlantic
Ocean and the south eastern Pacific where a tropical cyclone could never be formed due to the
cooler sea surface temperature and higher vertical wind shears. They develop at latitudes
usually greater than 5° from the equator. They reach their greatest intensity while located over
warm tropical water. As soon as they move inland, they begin to weaken, but often not before
they have caused great destruction.

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 The Philippines is prone to tropical cyclones due to its geographical location which
generally produce heavy rains and flooding of large areas and also strong winds which result in
heavy casualties to human life and destructions to crops and properties.

CLASSIFICATION OF TROPICAL CYCLONES

Tropical cyclones derive their energy from the latent heat of condensation which made them
exist only over the oceans and die out rapidly on land. One of its distinguishing features is it
having a central sea-level pressure of 900 mb or lower and surface winds often exceeding 100
knots. They reach their greatest intensity while located over warm tropical waters and they
begin to weaken as they move inland. The intensity of tropical cyclones vary, thus, we can
classify them based upon their degree of
intensity.

The classification of tropical cyclones according

HOW TYPHOONS ARE FORMED to the strength of the associated winds as
1. Typhoons start off as tropical adopted by PAGASA as of 01 May 2015 are as
thunderstorms. The strong windspull follows:
in moisture from the oceans. • TROPICAL DEPRESSION (TD) - a tropical
cyclone with maximum sustained winds of up
to 61 kilometers per hour (kph) or less than 33
nautical miles per hour (knots) .
• TROPICAL STORM (TS) - a tropical cyclonewith
maximum wind speed of 62 to 88 kph or 34 - 47
knots.
• SEVERE TROPICAL STORM (STS) , a tropical
2. The thunderstorms convert the cyclone with maximum wind speed of 89 to 117
moisture into heat. The heat causes kph or 48 - 63 knots.
more air to flow to the center of the • TYPHOON (TY) - a tropical cyclone with
storm causing evaporation. maximum wind speed of 118 to 220 kph or 64
- 120 knots.
• SUPER TYPHOON (STY) - a tropical cyclone
with maximum wind speed exceeding 220 kph
or more than 120 knots.

ANATOMY OF A TROPICAL CYCLONE/TYPHOON

THE EYE

3. All the heat and air flow toward A characteristic feature of tropical cyclones is
the eye creating the typhoon the eye, a central region of clear skies, warm
temperatures, and low atmospheric pressure.

THE EYEWALL

The most dangerous and destructive part of a

tropical cyclone is the eyewall. Here winds are
strongest, rainfall is heaviest, and deep
convective clouds rise from close to Earth’s
surface to a height of 15,000 meters (49,000
feet).

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SPIRAL RAIN BANDS

Spiral rain bands are found outside the eye wall. Rain bands are long, arching bands of clouds
and thunderstorms that spiral out of the eye wall. Dense bursts of rain and winds are often
associated with these bands. Also referred to as “buntot ng bagyo”, rain bands form the
outermost fringes of the typhoon structure.

Anatomy of a typhoon
TYPHOONS IN THE PHILIPPINES
Approximately twenty tropical
cyclones enter the Philippine area of
responsibility yearly, an area which
incorporates parts of the Pacific
Ocean, South China Sea and the
Philippine Archipelago. Among these
cyclones, ten will be typhoons, with
five having the potential to be
destructive ones. In the Philippine
languages, tropical cyclones are
generally called bagyo.
Tropical Cyclones (Typhoons)
entering the Philippine Area of
Responsibility (PAR) are given a local
name by the Philippine Atmospheric,
Geophysical, and Astronomical
Services Administration (PAGASA),
which also raises public storm signal warnings as deemed necessary. The Philippine Area of
Responsibility or PAR is bound by an imaginary line drawn along the following coordinates
25°N 120°E, 25°N 135°E, 5°N 135°E , 5°N 115°E, 15°N 115°E, and 21°N 120°E
PAR refers to designated area in the northwestern Pacific where PAGASA is tasked to monitor
tropical cyclone occurrences.
PAGASA issues tropical cyclone bulletins every six hours for all tropical cyclones within
PAR that have or anticipated to make landfall within the Philippines, or twelve hours when
cyclones are not affecting land.

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 To help citizens prepare for the onslaught of the storms, PAGASA issues Public Storm
Warning Signals that indicate the intensity, the areas that will be affected and the forecast
direction and speed of the tropical storm or typhoon.

The public storm warning system (PSWS) is as follows:

PSWS No. 1: The first signal

indicates that the area affected
should expect intermittent rains
within at least 36 hours. Winds of
30 kph to 60 kph should be
expected, although it is unlikely
that they will cause significant
damage. As a precaution, classes
in all public and private pre-
schools are automatically
suspended.
PSWS No. 2: The second warning
signal is raised in areas that will
experience winds of 60 kph to 100
kph within at least 24 hours. Light
to moderate damage is expected.
Some trees may be uprooted, and
roofs blown away. People
traveling by air and sea are
cautioned, and disaster
preparedness agencies should be
alerting their respective
communities. Classes from pre-
school to high school are
suspended.
PSWS No. 3: When the third warning signal is raised, people are advised to seek shelter inside
strong buildings, evacuate low-lying areas, and stay away from coasts and riverbanks as
moderate to heavy damage is expected. Winds of 100 kph to 185 kph are expected within at
least 18 hours. The winds could topple trees and destroy crops and houses made of light
materials. Widespread disruption of electrical power and communication services is also
expected. Classes at all levels are automatically suspended.
PSWS No. 4: The fourth storm warning signal indicates that a very intense typhoon with winds
of more than 185 kph may be expected within at least 12 hours. The typhoon is potentially very
destructive. Large trees are expected to be uprooted and residential and institutional buildings
could be severely damaged. Travels and outdoor activities should be cancelled.
PSWS No. 5: This recently added storm warning signal is raised when a super typhoon will affect
an area. Very powerful winds of more than 220 kph may be expected in at least 12 hours. This
typhoon is "extremely destructive or catastrophic" to the community as almost total damage
to structures is expected. Most residential and institutional buildings may be severely damaged,
and only a few crops and trees will be left standing. Evacuation to safer shelters should be
completed early as it may already be too late if it hasn't begun. The disaster coordinating
councils concerned and other disaster response organizations should be fully responding to
emergencies by this time or completely ready to immediately respond to the calamity.

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 To further help citizens prepare for heavy rains and flooding, PAGASA also has the
following color-coded rainfall or storm surge advisory system:
Yellow Rainfall Advisory: Citizens
should expect flooding in low-
lying areas as 7.5-15 mm of
rainfall (8 liters per square
meter/hour) is expected within
one hour and is likely to
continue in the next two hours.
There is also a possibility of a
storm surge of .5-1 meter high.
Everyone is advised to monitor
the weather condition because
the rainfall warning could be
raised.

Orange Rainfall Advisory:

Intense rains of 15-30 mm (15-
30 liters per square meter/hour)
are expected within one hour
and flooding is considered a
definite threat in communities
under this alert. Rainfall is
expected to continue in the next
two hours and storm surges 1
meter to 3 meters high are
expected.
Red Rainfall Advisory: This
rainfall advisory is issued when
downpours constitute an emergency. It is raised when the torrential rainfall is more than 30
mm within one hour or if it has continued for the past three hours and has risen to more than
65 mm (30 liters per square meter/hour). Storm surges over 3 meters high are expected and
will most likely cause severe damage to coastal and marine infrastructure. Serious flooding is
expected in low lying areas and evacuation to designated safe zones is recommended.

EFFECTS OF TYPHOON
Tropical cyclone constitutes one of the most destructive natural disasters that affects many
countries around the globe and exacts tremendous annual losses in lives and property. Its
impact is greatest over the coastal areas, which bear the brunt of the strong surface winds,
squalls, induced tornadoes, and flooding from heavy rains, rather than strong winds, that cause
the greatest loss in lives and destruction to property in coastal areas.

STRONG WINDS

A squall is defined as an event in which the surface wind increases in magnitude above the
mean by factors of 1.2 to 1.6 or higher and is maintained over a time interval of several minutes

22
to one half hour. The spatial scales would be roughly 2 to 10 km. The increase in wind may
occur suddenly or gradually. These development near landfall lead to unexpectedly large
damage.
TORNADOES

Tornadoes are tropical cyclone spawned which are to be expected for about half of the storms
of tropical storm intensity. These are heavily concentrated in the right front quadrant of the
storm (relative to the track) in regions where the air has had a relatively short trajectory over
land. These form in conjunction with strong convection.
RAINFALL AND FLOODING
Rainfall associated with tropical cyclones is both beneficial and harmful. Although the rains
contribute to the water needs of the areas traversed by the cyclones, the rains are harmful
when the amount is so large as to cause flooding.
STORM SURGE
The storm surge is an abnormal rise of water due to a tropical cyclone and it is an oceanic event
responding to meteorological driving forces. Potentially disastrous surges occur along coasts
with low-lying terrain that allows inland inundation, or across inland water bodies such as bays,
estuaries, lakes and rivers. For riverine situations, the surge is sea water moving up the river. A
freshwater flooding moving down a river due to rain generally occurs days after a storm event
and is not considered a storm surge. For a typical storm, the surge affects about 160 km of
coastline for a period of several hours.

1. Why is Philippines prone to typhoon?

2. How does PAGASA warn the people of forthcoming typhoon?

3. What do you expect when PAGASA raises PSWS#3?

4. What would you do when classes are suspended due to typhoon

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Objectives
After performing this activity, you
should be able to:
1. read map,
2. given the latitude and longitude of
a tropical cyclone, tell if it has entered
the Philippine Area of Responsibility,
and
3. explain what is meant when a
typhoon has entered the Philippine
Area of Responsibility.
Materials
• map of the Philippines and vicinity
pencil
Procedures
1. Plot the following points on
the map
25°N 120°E, 25°N 135°E,
5°N 135°E , 5°N 115°E,
15°N 115°E, and 21°N 120°E

2. Connect the plotted points. The 1. If a typhoon is located at 15°N, 138°E, is it

region within is the Philippine Area of within the PAR?
Responsibility or PAR. It is the job of
PAGASA to monitor all tropical
cyclones that enter this area.
2. How about if the typhoon is at 19°N, 117°E,
is it inside the PAR?

24
 Where did the tropical cyclones form?
On land or in the ocean?

What can you say about the

temperature of the bodies of water in
the vicinity of the Philippines? Is the
water warm or cold?

In what direction did the tropical

cyclones move?

Which part of the Philippines was hit

by the four tropical cyclones?

In the case of Agaton, Yoyong, and

Huaning, where did they die out? Near
land or in the middle of the ocean?

Tropical cyclones need water vapor in order to form. Which is a better source of water vapor,
landmasses or oceans? The answer is obvious. But not all parts of the ocean can provide water
vapor. Where do you think would evaporation be greatest, near the equator or away from the
equator?

Thus, tropical cyclones require warm ocean waters to be able to develop. According to
scientists, the temperature of ocean water must be 26.5°C or greater.

From the maps, you can see that tropical cyclones generally move in a northwest direction. The
reason is because there are large-scale winds that push the tropical cyclones in that direction.
This is similar to the way a whirlpool is carried along by a flowing stream.

As you can observe, all four tropical cyclones struck the northern part of the Philippines. Now
you know why the southern part of the Philippines is often untouched by tropical cyclones.
Where do you think should a tropical cyclone form so it would hit the Mindanao area?

Three of the tropical cyclones mentioned above weakened and died out near land. Agaton
dissipated in Luzon, Yoyong in Taiwan, and Huaning near Mainland China. This means that when
tropical cyclones reach land, they die out because they are cut off from the warm ocean waters
that keep them going

1. Why is there a need to track typhoon?

2. What important details are obtained from a tracking map?
3. Imagine what would have happened if there were no tracking map?
How will this affect the people and the environment?

25
In the following activity, you will try your hand in tracking a tropical cyclone as it enters and
leaves the PAR.

Procedures
1. Using the data in Table 1, plot the day-today location of the tropical cyclone Shanna on the
map showing the Philippine Area of Responsibility.
2. Mark each location with a dot.
3. Connect the dots to track the cyclone from June 30 to July 6.

26
Analyze and Conclude
1. In what body of water did tropical cyclone Shanna from?

2. What direction did tropical cyclone Shanna took as it crossed the Philippines?

3. Explain why Mindanao is not usually hit by tropical cyclone?

4. On what day did tropical cyclone Shanna hit land?

5. Which provinces were hit by directly by the eye of the tropical cyclone?

6. On what day did tropical cyclone Shanna leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility?

7. What possible benefit do tropical cyclones bring? Explain your answer.

Precautionary Measures Before, During and After

Before a Typhoon:
✓ Help your family check and fix your
house for any damage (especially the
roofs and windows), so it can
withstand the strong winds. If you were in school and classes
✓ Remind your family members to have been called off due to a
stock up an adequate food supply typhoon, what precautions must
such as rice, canned goods, and foods you observe on your way home?
that would last even without
refrigeration.
✓ Stock up an adequate supply of In terms of energy, explain why
drinking water, and water for typhoons are the most powerful
cleaning or other purposes. weather disturbance on Earth?
✓ Prepare flashlights, batteries for
flashlights and radio, candles and
kerosene lamps, or other lighting devices.
✓ Prepare a first-aid kit.
✓ Always monitor news about the typhoon, whether on television or radio. If the power
is cut, keep a radio on and tuned in to news.
✓ Help check and clean your community drainage system and canals to prevent flood.
✓ Check your electric posts to prevent accidents. If you notice some impending danger
due to weak electric posts that might fall, report this to the electric company so they
can reinforce it right away.
✓ Remind family members to cut all branches of trees around your house that could
possibly fall on your house.
✓ Help check all electrical warnings.
✓ Teach younger members of your family what to do during a typhoon.
✓ Pack a bag with clothes, batteries, flashlight, water, canned goods and other
necessities, in case you have to evacuate.

27
During a Typhoon:
✓ Stay calm and be alert.
✓ Stay indoors. Postpone any plans of travels or errands.
✓ Monitor the weather reports. Check what is happening around you.
✓ When local authorities advise you to evacuate, do so. Move family pets and valuable
to a safe place; turn off gas valves, electricity and water, when safe to do so.
✓ If you happen to be outdoors when a typhoon comes, (a) stay away from electric
posts and wires; (b) never stand under a lone tree in an open field to avoid being hit
by lightning; (c) never fix your TV antenna during a thunderstorm; (d) stay away from
boats and from bodies of water; and (e) enter the nearest safe shelter.
✓ Avoid staying or going to low-lying and coastal areas that are prone to floods or storm
surge.
✓ Be ready to evacuate if necessary. Leave your house as soon as you realize you are
not safe.
✓ Boil drinking water or have some bottled water ready.
✓ If you happen to be in a car or any land vehicle when the typhoon comes, you are
usually safe, but not when there is a flood.
✓ If your roofs have very little vents where winds pass through, or sometimes, when the
winds of a typhoon are very strong, you may need to open a few windows in the
opposite side of your house to let the wind pass through.
✓ Monitor flood reports and predictions.
✓ Have a flood plan which everyone in the family will follow when necessary. Be
prepared to act on your food plan. Prepare a flood kit of essential items, just like your
essentials for typhoons.
After a Typhoon:
✓ Have a knowledgeable person inspect electrical wiring before using electrical
appliances. It is usually advisable not to use appliances immediately after a typhoon
especially if your house got flooded.
✓ Check for any damage, including water pipes, and help make necessary repairs as
soon as possible.
✓ Boil water before drinking it to avoid getting sick.
✓ Wear slippers, shoes or other footwear, for protection from any sharp or pointed
objects that might have fallen.
✓ Avoid electrical wires that have fallen.
✓ Stay away from flood waters. They carry water-borne diseases. Many people who
have survived a storm, but braved flood waters actually have been hospitalized, not
just for injuries or diarrhea, but also to the deadly leptospirosis. Leptospirosis is also
known as Weil’s syndrome, and is caused by bacterial infection when dirty water
contaminated with animal urine (commonly rats) comes in contact with a person’s
unhealed wounds or scratches, newly pedicure nails, a person’s eyes, or with mucous
membranes (like in skin, nostrils, mouth, lips, eyelids, ears, genital area and anus).
✓ Clean and clear everything damaged by the typhoon.
✓ Stay in a safe place with a means of escape

Form a group and design activities that you think should be done to lessen the
harmful effects of typhoons. Share your work with the whole class.

28
List the facts you have learned about earthquakes and faults in the
first box and write what you have learned about them in the second

_ _

29
COMETS

Comet is an icy body that orbits the sun. The

center of a comet is called the nucleus. It is a small,
solid ball surrounded by gases, water, and dust.
These things are frozen into a kind of dirty snowball.
The nucleus can be a few kilometers or a few miles Using this picture, label the parts
in diameter. The cloud of dust and gases around the of a comet.
nucleus is called the coma. Together, the nucleus
and the coma form the comet’s head. The third part
of the comet is called the tail. Comets only have tails
when they are close to the sun.

Comets travel in large orbits around the sun.

When they are far from the sun, they travel about
2,000 miles per hour. As they get closer to the sun,
they speed up. They may go as fast as 100,000 miles
per hour! As a comet approaches the sun, its icy
body begins to melt. This releases gas and dust. The
solar winds push against the coma, making a tail that
streams from the nucleus. The tail of a comet may
be millions of kilometers long. It is usually curved because of the movement of the comet.

The tail of a comet is blown outward by the solar wind, so the tail always points away
from the sun. As the comet nears the sun, the tail is behind it. When the comet moves away
from the sun, the tail is in front of it. The tails of some comets are visible from Earth. As the
comet continues its orbit and gets farther from the sun, its tail disappears.

Halley’s Comet

30
The Famous Halley’s Comet

` Some comets make many revolutions around the sun. The most famous is Halley’s
Comet. Edmund Halley discovered it in 1682. It revolves around the sun once every 76 years.
The tail of Halley’s Comet has been measured at about 93 million miles, the same distance from
the Earth to the sun. Halley’s Comet last came near Earth in 1986 and will return in 2062. Other
comets make only one orbit before disappearing into outer space.

More Concepts about Comets

A comet has no light of its own. We can seea

comet because of the reflection of the sun’s light off
of the comet and because the gas molecules in the
coma release energy absorbed from the sun’s rays. Research for example of
short and long period comets
Theories propose that most of the comets
originate in the Oort Cloud- the vast cloud of comets What do you think would
that surrounds the solar system. The Oort Cloud bis happen if a large comet will
located some 15 trillion kilometers from the sun. strike Earth?
Comets usually stays in the Oort Cloud or Kuiper Belt; however, if passing star exerts enough
gravity, the comet might be nudged free. Sometimes its new path expels it from the solar
system all together and dooms it to roam interstellar space. The alternate path takes it into the
inner solar system, where it can become a short or long-period comet.

If the comet’s final orbit path takes less than 200 years, the comet is classified as short-
period comet. If the orbit takes more than 200 years, then it is classified as long period comet.

How different is comet from a

meteor?

What makes-up the coma of a

comet?
Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud
Why does a tail of a comet
always point away from the
sun?

Predict the approximate dates

of the return of Halley’s Comet
between now and the year
3000.

Halley’s Comet Orbit

31
Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites

A meteor is a bright streak of light we see in the sky.

It only lasts for a few seconds. People often call
Have you ever seen a “shooting
meteors falling stars or shooting stars because they
star’? Where did this shooting
look like stars falling from the sky. The brightest
star came from?
meteors are called fireballs. While it is in space, it is
called a meteoroid. Meteoroids that reach the Earth
are called meteorites. It is a meteor when it is
passing through the atmosphere. Do you know any superstitious
belief related to meteors?
A meteoroid is a chunk of metallic or stony matter.
Some of these may have been pieces of asteroids. When it enters the Earth's atmosphere from
outer space, air friction heats the meteoroid so that it glows. It creates a shining trail of gases
and melted particles. Most meteoroids burn up before reaching the Earth. Some leave a trail
that lasts several seconds. Millions of meteors occur in the Earth's atmosphere every day. Most
meteoroids that cause meteors are about the size of a pebble.

Meteoroids travel around the sun in different orbits and at different speeds. The fastest ones
move at about 26 miles per second. When it enters the Earth’s atmosphere, its speed combines
with the speed of Earth’s movements and can reach 264 miles per hour!

There are three kinds of meteorites. They are stony, iron, and stony-iron. Meteorites are the
oldest rocks ever found. They date back to the beginning of the solar system. Thousands of
small meteorites have been found in Antarctica. Scientists study meteorites for clues to the
types of material that formed the planets.

32
 Earlier, we mentioned that a meteoroid can come from comets. Comets orbit the
Sun and leave fragments along their orbit as they continue their journey around
the Sun. These fragments continue to orbit the Sun just like their parent comets.
When Earth orbits the Sun and passes through the orbit of a comet where these
comet fragments are found, we observe many streaks of light from Earth which
is called a meteor shower. During a meteor shower, meteors seem to originate
from only one point in the sky because the meteoroids are traveling in parallel
paths with the same velocity. The meteor shower is named after the constellation
where they seem to originate from, but this does not mean that the meteoroids
come from the associated constellation. Remember: a meteor and a meteor
shower are light phenomena; they are not stars.

Listed below are some of Earth’s annual meteor showers and the best dates for
viewing them. Using reference materials in the library or in the internet, find the
sky location to best observe the meteors. Then try to observe meteors during
several clear nights

NAME DATE
Quarantids January 2
Lyrids April 22
Orionids October 21
Taurids November 16

ASTEROIDS

Asteroids are large chunks of

rocky material with some metals in it.
There is large group of asteroids
orbiting the sun between the orbits of
Mars and Jupiter. This is called the
asteroid belt. Most of the asteroids in
our solar system are found there. They
orbit the sun just as the planets do. They
are too small to be planets.
Astronomers think that the asteroid belt
is made up of material that was never
able to form into a planet, or it could be
parts of a planet that broke apart long
ago. The asteroid belt contains millions
A close-up image of the asteroid Ida taken by
of asteroids. The largest asteroid is
NASA's Galileo spacecraft
about one-fourth the size of our moon.

33
Most asteroids in our solar system can be found in the asteroid belt, between Mars and
Jupiter
WHERE DID ASTEROIDS COME FROM?

Asteroids are left over from the formation of our solar system. Our solar system began about
4.6 billion years ago when a big cloud of gas and dust collapsed. When this happened, most of
the material fell to the center of the cloud and formed the sun.

Some of the condensing dust in the cloud became planets. The objects in the asteroid belt
never had the chance to be incorporated into planets. They are leftovers from that time long
ago when planets formed.

ARE ALL ASTEROIDS THE SAME?

No ! Because asteroids formed in different locations at different distances from the sun, no two
asteroids are alike. Here are a few ways that they differ:

• Asteroids aren’t all round like planets. They have jagged and irregular shapes.
• Some asteroids are hundreds of miles in diameter, but many more are as small as pebbles.
• Most asteroids are made of different kinds of rocks, but some have clays or metals, such as
nickel and iron.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM ASTEROIDS?

Since asteroids formed at the same time as other objects in our solar system, these space rocks
can give scientists lots of information about the history of planets and the sun. Scientists can
learn about asteroids by studying meteorites: tiny bits of asteroids that have flown through our
atmosphere and landed on Earth’s surface.

34
1. Why do you think asteroids are located in the asteroid belt?
2. Is there a possibility that an asteroid will collide with Earth? How will
you prove this?

Compare and contrast meteors, comets and asteroids using the

picture below

35
List the facts you have learned about earthquakes and faults in the
first box and write what you have learned about them in the second

_ _

36
 Reviewed by:
DR. CONRADO C. DOMINGO
EPSvr SCIENCE

37
REFERENCES

Grade 8 Learner’s Materials

You and the Natural World by Religioso Teresita, et.al

https://images.app.goo.gl/jjTgyv2vhe8JrRb29

https://www.sms-tsunami-warning.com/pages/earthquakes-introduction#.Xt3RGUUza00

https://www.windows2universe.org/earth/geology/quake_1.html&edu=high#:~:text=The%20point%20at%20the%
20Earth's,the%20surface%20does%20not%20break.

https://www.usgs.gov/natural-hazards/earthquake-hazards/science/cool-earthquake-
facts?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects
https://images.app.goo.gl/SvN8oaTroKrRPaDX9

http://bagong.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/information/about-tropical-cyclone

https://www.britannica.com/science/tropical-cyclone/Life-of-a-cyclone

https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2016/07/08/PAGASA-typhoon-public-storm-warning-
system-rainfall-
advisories.html#:~:text=To%20help%20citizens%20prepare%20for,PSWS%20No.

https://www.alcsny.org/cms/lib/NY01001789/Centricity/Domain/258/Comets%20Asteroids
%20and%20Meteoroids%20Reading.pdf

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-
meteors/comets/overview/?page=0&per_page=40&order=name+asc&search=&condition_1
=102%3Aparent_id&condition_2=comet%3Abody_type%3Ailike

https://www.space.com/topics/meteors

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/meteors-and-
meteorites/overview/?page=0&per_page=40&order=id+asc&search=&condition_1=meteor
_shower%3Abody_type

https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/meteoroids.html

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