Question 1

S waves can travel through_______ .

Accepted Answer

A)  solid media only 
B)  liquid media only 
C)  both liquid and solid media 
D)  neither liquid nor solid media 
A)  solid media only 
B)  liquid media only 
C)  both liquid and solid media 
D)  neither liquid nor solid media A

Question 2

Use one of the following five terms to fill in the blanks for the questions below: Continental crust, Asthenosphere, Mantle, Lithosphere, Oceanic crust
-The upper part of the_______ has the approximate composition of granite.

Accepted Answer

A)  continental crust 
B)  asthenosphere 
C)  mantle 
D)  lithosphere 
E)  oceanic crust 
A)  continental crust 
B)  asthenosphere 
C)  mantle 
D)  lithosphere 
E)  oceanic crust A

Question 3

One measurement that is widely used to determine how far the focus of an earthquake is from the seismograph where it is recorded is _______.

Accepted Answer

A)  the difference in travel time between the P and the S wave 
B)  the amplitude of the P- wave 
C)  the difference in amplitude between the P and the S wave 
D)  the amplitude of the S- wave 
A)  the difference in travel time between the P and the S wave 
B)  the amplitude of the P- wave 
C)  the difference in amplitude between the P and the S wave 
D)  the amplitude of the S- wave A

Question 4

Short term earthquake prediction research has focused on _______.

Accepted Answer

A)  measuring the rate of motion on various faults and the strength of the rocks along the faults to determine when the stress buildup will exceed the strength of the rocks 
B)  measuring vertical changes in elevation along faults to determine whether a fault zone is inflating before a major rupture 
C)  looking for precursors such as changes in topography, animal behavior, foreshocks, radon emission, etc., that might signal an imminent earthquake 
D)  looking at when and where earthquakes have occurred in the past to develop a model for the timing of future earthquakes 
A)  measuring the rate of motion on various faults and the strength of the rocks along the faults to determine when the stress buildup will exceed the strength of the rocks 
B)  measuring vertical changes in elevation along faults to determine whether a fault zone is inflating before a major rupture 
C)  looking for precursors such as changes in topography, animal behavior, foreshocks, radon emission, etc., that might signal an imminent earthquake 
D)  looking at when and where earthquakes have occurred in the past to develop a model for the timing of future earthquakes

Question 5

During the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the movement of the Pacific Plate relative to the North American Plate along the San Andreas Fault was approximately _______.

Accepted Answer

A)  1 cm 
B)  1 meter 
C)  10 cm 
D)  10 meters 
E)  100 meters 
A)  1 cm 
B)  1 meter 
C)  10 cm 
D)  10 meters 
E)  100 meters

Question 6

Which of the following is not a significant factor contributing to the damage caused by an earthquake?

Accepted Answer

A)  the construction techniques and materials used in the region 
B)  the proximity to a plate boundary 
C)  the types of ground materials that are built on in the region 
D)  the duration of the vibrations 
A)  the construction techniques and materials used in the region 
B)  the proximity to a plate boundary 
C)  the types of ground materials that are built on in the region 
D)  the duration of the vibrations

Question 7

Megathrusts between subducting oceanic crust and an overriding plate are a potential source of tsunamis because_______ .

Accepted Answer

A)  oceanic crust is "thrust" over the continent along a megathrust so that forces the land downward producing a tsunami 
B)  one side of the fault is on land and the other is underwater so an earthquake could cause a landslide or tsunami depending on which side moved 
C)  the earthquakes on these faults are underwater and could displace large amounts of water from the oceans 
D)  the earthquakes on these faults are underwater and could release large amounts of water from the asthenosphere 
A)  oceanic crust is "thrust" over the continent along a megathrust so that forces the land downward producing a tsunami 
B)  one side of the fault is on land and the other is underwater so an earthquake could cause a landslide or tsunami depending on which side moved 
C)  the earthquakes on these faults are underwater and could displace large amounts of water from the oceans 
D)  the earthquakes on these faults are underwater and could release large amounts of water from the asthenosphere

Question 8

Why is the Moment magnitude scale favored over the Richter magnitude scale?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Richter magnitude always underestimates the amount of energy released by an earthquake. 
B)  The moment magnitude carries the calculated values out to more decimal places so it is more precise. 
C)  The Moment magnitude measures the total energy released by an earthquake. 
D)  The Richter magnitude is based on older models of seismographs that are no longer used to record earthquakes. 
A)  The Richter magnitude always underestimates the amount of energy released by an earthquake. 
B)  The moment magnitude carries the calculated values out to more decimal places so it is more precise. 
C)  The Moment magnitude measures the total energy released by an earthquake. 
D)  The Richter magnitude is based on older models of seismographs that are no longer used to record earthquakes.

Question 9

The _______scale is an earthquake magnitude scale is based on the energy released by the earthquake.

Accepted Answer

A)  Modified Richter 
B)  Mercalli 
C)  seismograph 
D)  Richter 
A)  Modified Richter 
B)  Mercalli 
C)  seismograph 
D)  Richter

Question 10

Strike- slip faults are common along _______plate boundaries.

Accepted Answer

A)  convergent 
B)  transform 
C)  hot spot 
D)  divergent 
A)  convergent 
B)  transform 
C)  hot spot 
D)  divergent

Question 11

Large megathrust earthquakes in the Alps and Atlas Mountains on either side of the Mediterranean Sea. are generally due to_______ .

Accepted Answer

A)  the collision of the Indian Plate with Eurasia 
B)  the collision of the African Plate with Eurasia 
C)  the collision of the African Plate with Southeast Asia 
D)  the collision of the Indian Plate with Southeast Asia 
A)  the collision of the Indian Plate with Eurasia 
B)  the collision of the African Plate with Eurasia 
C)  the collision of the African Plate with Southeast Asia 
D)  the collision of the Indian Plate with Southeast Asia

Question 12

There are_______ earthquakes around the world every day.

Accepted Answer

A)  thousands 
B)  one or two 
C)  ten or twenty 
D)  hundreds 
A)  thousands 
B)  one or two 
C)  ten or twenty 
D)  hundreds

Question 13

What is the probability that a large earthquake M > 6.7. will occur in the San Francisco area between 2003 and 2032?

Accepted Answer

A)  44% 
B)  62% 
C)  85% 
D)  23% 
A)  44% 
B)  62% 
C)  85% 
D)  23%

Question 14

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

Accepted Answer

A)  body wave 
B)  surface wave 
C)  P wave 
D)  S wave 
A)  body wave 
B)  surface wave 
C)  P wave 
D)  S wave

Question 15

The location where slippage begins is called the_______ .

Accepted Answer

A)  hypocenter 
B)  slippage zone 
C)  epicenter 
D)  surface wave 
A)  hypocenter 
B)  slippage zone 
C)  epicenter 
D)  surface wave

Question 16

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

Accepted Answer

A)  Richter 
B)  energy 
C)  Modified Mercalli 
D)  amplitude 
A)  Richter 
B)  energy 
C)  Modified Mercalli 
D)  amplitude

Question 17

Earthquake prediction is_______ .

Accepted Answer

A)  not possible 
B)  somewhat good for very long term statistical analyses based on ideas like mapping seismic gaps 
C)  generally good if you live in an area along a plate boundary because we know how fast the plates are moving and can measure the stress accumulation 
D)  possible for short times before some earthquakes based on things like animal behavior, but the U.S. does not make use of this method 
A)  not possible 
B)  somewhat good for very long term statistical analyses based on ideas like mapping seismic gaps 
C)  generally good if you live in an area along a plate boundary because we know how fast the plates are moving and can measure the stress accumulation 
D)  possible for short times before some earthquakes based on things like animal behavior, but the U.S. does not make use of this method

Question 18

Approximately how much more energy is released in a 6.5 Richter magnitude earthquake than in one with a Richter magnitude of 5.5?

Accepted Answer

A)  construction methods are clearly inadequate in the high intensity areas, and all homes in those areas need to be reinforced 
B)  people should not be allowed to build homes in the intensity VIII regions because the U.S. taxpayer has to pay to rebuild after such an earthquake 
C)  in general, the current building codes are inadequate and people should be aware of the hazards in this area 
D)  people who live in the high intensity regions should consider purchasing earthquake insurance 
A)  construction methods are clearly inadequate in the high intensity areas, and all homes in those areas need to be reinforced 
B)  people should not be allowed to build homes in the intensity VIII regions because the U.S. taxpayer has to pay to rebuild after such an earthquake 
C)  in general, the current building codes are inadequate and people should be aware of the hazards in this area 
D)  people who live in the high intensity regions should consider purchasing earthquake insurance

Question 19

_______is the rigid, cool outer approximately 100 km of the earth.

Accepted Answer

A)  Continental crust 
B)  Asthenosphere 
C)  Mantle 
D)  Lithosphere 
E)  Oceanic crust 
A)  Continental crust 
B)  Asthenosphere 
C)  Mantle 
D)  Lithosphere 
E)  Oceanic crust

Question 20

During the earliest history of the earth, _______.

Accepted Answer

A)  the temperature increased so that iron and nickel melted 
B)  the earth was cold and lacked any source of heat 
C)  almost all of the material was radioactive, and it decayed to the compositions we have today 
D)  the earth did not have any radioactive material 
A)  the temperature increased so that iron and nickel melted 
B)  the earth was cold and lacked any source of heat 
C)  almost all of the material was radioactive, and it decayed to the compositions we have today 
D)  the earth did not have any radioactive material

Exam 5: Earthquakes and Earths Interior

S waves can travel through_______ .

Use one of the following five terms to fill in the blanks for the questions below: Continental crust, Asthenosphere, Mantle, Lithosphere, Oceanic crust -The upper part of the_______ has the approximate composition of granite.

One measurement that is widely used to determine how far the focus of an earthquake is from the seismograph where it is recorded is _______.

Short term earthquake prediction research has focused on _______.

During the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the movement of the Pacific Plate relative to the North American Plate along the San Andreas Fault was approximately _______.

Which of the following is not a significant factor contributing to the damage caused by an earthquake?

Megathrusts between subducting oceanic crust and an overriding plate are a potential source of tsunamis because_______ .

Why is the Moment magnitude scale favored over the Richter magnitude scale?

The _______scale is an earthquake magnitude scale is based on the energy released by the earthquake.

Strike- slip faults are common along _______plate boundaries.

Large megathrust earthquakes in the Alps and Atlas Mountains on either side of the Mediterranean Sea. are generally due to_______ .

There are_______ earthquakes around the world every day.

What is the probability that a large earthquake M > 6.7. will occur in the San Francisco area between 2003 and 2032?

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

The location where slippage begins is called the_______ .

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

Earthquake prediction is_______ .

Approximately how much more energy is released in a 6.5 Richter magnitude earthquake than in one with a Richter magnitude of 5.5?

_______is the rigid, cool outer approximately 100 km of the earth.

During the earliest history of the earth, _______.

Introduction to Earth Science

Matter and Minerals

Rocks: Materials of the Solid Earth

Plate Tectonics: a Scientific Revolution Unfolds

Volcanoes and Other Igneous Activity

Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Weathering, Soil, and Mass Movement

Running Water and Groundwater

Glaciers, Deserts, and Wind

Geologic Time

Earths Evolution Through Geologic Time

The Ocean Floor

Ocean Water and Ocean Life

The Dynamic Ocean

The Atmosphere: Composition, Structure, and Temperature

Moisture, Clouds, and Precipitation

Air Pressure and Wind

Weather Patterns and Severe Storms

World Climates and Global Climate Change

Origins of Modern Astronomy

Touring Our Solar System

Light, Telescopes, and the Sun

Beyond Our Solar System

Filters