Question 1

Tsunamis are most commonly generated by sudden _________ movement of the seafloor during an earthquake.

Accepted Answer

A)  strike-slip 
B)  horizontal 
C)  vertical 
D)  circular 
A)  strike-slip 
B)  horizontal 
C)  vertical 
D)  circular

Question 2

The vast majority of earthquakes occur

Accepted Answer

A)  along transform-plate boundaries only. 
B)  near hot spots. 
C)  along passive margins. 
D)  along any plate boundary. 
A)  along transform-plate boundaries only. 
B)  near hot spots. 
C)  along passive margins. 
D)  along any plate boundary.

Question 3

Most earthquakes are a result of

Accepted Answer

A)  a sudden change in atmospheric pressure. 
B)  mantle upwelling. 
C)  erosion of bedrock. 
D)  movement of rocks along faults. 
A)  a sudden change in atmospheric pressure. 
B)  mantle upwelling. 
C)  erosion of bedrock. 
D)  movement of rocks along faults.

Question 4

Before an earthquake,rocks can respond to applied stress to a small degree by bending and warping without breaking.This is termed _________.

Accepted Answer

A)  elastic behavior 
B)  faulting 
C)  seismic velocity 
D)  brittle deformation 
A)  elastic behavior 
B)  faulting 
C)  seismic velocity 
D)  brittle deformation

Question 5

Sketch a seismogram that has recorded an earthquake.Be sure to label the arrival of each of the three main types of seismic waves (P-waves,S-waves,and surface waves).

Accepted Answer

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Question 6

Short-term predictions of earthquake behavior have

Accepted Answer

A)  saved millions of lives in the past decade alone. 
B)  been largely unreliable. 
C)  been primarily based on the behavior patterns of farm animals. 
D)  been correct approximately 50 percent of the time. 
A)  saved millions of lives in the past decade alone. 
B)  been largely unreliable. 
C)  been primarily based on the behavior patterns of farm animals. 
D)  been correct approximately 50 percent of the time.

Question 7

Which earthquake scale is used to assess the effects of an earthquake on humans and human-made structures?

Accepted Answer

A)  Richter scale 
B)  Mercalli scale 
C)  moment magnitude scale 
D)  surface-wave magnitude scale 
A)  Richter scale 
B)  Mercalli scale 
C)  moment magnitude scale 
D)  surface-wave magnitude scale

Question 8

What kind of information is shown on a seismic hazard map?

Accepted Answer

A)  the probability that different regions will experience a large earthquake 
B)  the likely magnitude of future earthquakes in different regions 
C)  the distribution of small and large earthquakes in different regions 
D)  the locations of large earthquakes in the past 
A)  the probability that different regions will experience a large earthquake 
B)  the likely magnitude of future earthquakes in different regions 
C)  the distribution of small and large earthquakes in different regions 
D)  the locations of large earthquakes in the past

Question 9

A ____________ is a scientific instrument used to record the ground motions produced by an earthquake.

Accepted Answer

A)  seismic wave 
B)  seismometer 
C)  tidal gauge 
D)  strain gauge 
A)  seismic wave 
B)  seismometer 
C)  tidal gauge 
D)  strain gauge

Question 10

Aftershocks after a major earthquake

Accepted Answer

A)  may continue for days,weeks,or years after the initial earthquake. 
B)  are equivalent in magnitude to the original earthquake. 
C)  always occur on the same fault as the original earthquake. 
D)  typically occur only on reverse faults in subduction zones as a result of high pressures. 
A)  may continue for days,weeks,or years after the initial earthquake. 
B)  are equivalent in magnitude to the original earthquake. 
C)  always occur on the same fault as the original earthquake. 
D)  typically occur only on reverse faults in subduction zones as a result of high pressures.

Question 11

Faulting and earthquakes are examples of what type of deformation?

Accepted Answer

A)  brittle 
B)  elastic 
C)  ductile 
D)  fluid 
A)  brittle 
B)  elastic 
C)  ductile 
D)  fluid

Question 12

The energy that is released during an earthquake travels through the Earth as vibrations termed _______.

Accepted Answer

A)  gravity waves 
B)  tsunamis 
C)  seismic waves 
D)  sound waves 
A)  gravity waves 
B)  tsunamis 
C)  seismic waves 
D)  sound waves

Question 13

An earthquake occurs with an epicenter in the town of New Madrid,Missouri,in the interior of the North American Plate.What is the most likely location of the hypocenter?

Accepted Answer

A)  in New Madrid (hypocenter and epicenter mean precisely the same thing) 
B)  20 km south of New Madrid 
C)  20 km beneath New Madrid 
D)  200 km beneath New Madrid 
A)  in New Madrid (hypocenter and epicenter mean precisely the same thing) 
B)  20 km south of New Madrid 
C)  20 km beneath New Madrid 
D)  200 km beneath New Madrid

Question 14

Tsunamis are more destructive than wind-driven storm waves primarily because

Accepted Answer

A)  tsunamis always have larger heights (amplitude). 
B)  tsunamis have longer wavelengths and thus larger volumes of water are involved. 
C)  the tides that cause tsunamis can be very erratic and unpredictable. 
D)  tsunamis also generate seismic waves that can destroy buildings. 
A)  tsunamis always have larger heights (amplitude). 
B)  tsunamis have longer wavelengths and thus larger volumes of water are involved. 
C)  the tides that cause tsunamis can be very erratic and unpredictable. 
D)  tsunamis also generate seismic waves that can destroy buildings.

Question 15

Faults occur in many locations,but most faults had displacement in the distant past and are unlikely to move again in the future.This means that most faults are

Accepted Answer

A)  active faults. 
B)  thrust faults. 
C)  inactive faults. 
D)  submarine faults. 
A)  active faults. 
B)  thrust faults. 
C)  inactive faults. 
D)  submarine faults.

Question 16

According to the moment magnitude scale (Mw),the amplitude of ground shaking during a magnitude 8 earthquake would be 1,000 times greater than a magnitude ________ earthquake.

Accepted Answer

A)  9 
B)  5 
C)  7 
D)  4 
A)  9 
B)  5 
C)  7 
D)  4

Question 17

The point within the Earth where an earthquake originates is termed the

Accepted Answer

A)  hypocenter (focus). 
B)  epicenter. 
C)  eye of the fault. 
D)  vertex. 
A)  hypocenter (focus). 
B)  epicenter. 
C)  eye of the fault. 
D)  vertex.

Question 18

The quantity of motion that occurs along a fault is termed

Accepted Answer

A)  fault gouge. 
B)  the fault gauge. 
C)  displacement. 
D)  accumulation. 
A)  fault gouge. 
B)  the fault gauge. 
C)  displacement. 
D)  accumulation.

Question 19

Surface waves

Accepted Answer

A)  travel more rapidly than body waves. 
B)  produce most of the damage to buildings during earthquakes. 
C)  are the first waves produced in an earthquake. 
D)  are the first waves to arrive at a seismograph station after an earthquake. 
A)  travel more rapidly than body waves. 
B)  produce most of the damage to buildings during earthquakes. 
C)  are the first waves produced in an earthquake. 
D)  are the first waves to arrive at a seismograph station after an earthquake.

Question 20

Designing and retrofitting building to withstand the effects of earthquakes is a type of

Accepted Answer

A)  earthquake zoning. 
B)  earthquake engineering. 
C)  seismic hazard mapping. 
D)  seismic retrofitting. 
A)  earthquake zoning. 
B)  earthquake engineering. 
C)  seismic hazard mapping. 
D)  seismic retrofitting.

Exam 8: A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Tsunamis are most commonly generated by sudden _________ movement of the seafloor during an earthquake.

The vast majority of earthquakes occur

Most earthquakes are a result of

Before an earthquake,rocks can respond to applied stress to a small degree by bending and warping without breaking.This is termed _________.

Sketch a seismogram that has recorded an earthquake.Be sure to label the arrival of each of the three main types of seismic waves (P-waves,S-waves,and surface waves).

Short-term predictions of earthquake behavior have

Which earthquake scale is used to assess the effects of an earthquake on humans and human-made structures?

What kind of information is shown on a seismic hazard map?

A ____________ is a scientific instrument used to record the ground motions produced by an earthquake.

Aftershocks after a major earthquake

Faulting and earthquakes are examples of what type of deformation?

The energy that is released during an earthquake travels through the Earth as vibrations termed _______.

An earthquake occurs with an epicenter in the town of New Madrid,Missouri,in the interior of the North American Plate.What is the most likely location of the hypocenter?

Tsunamis are more destructive than wind-driven storm waves primarily because

Faults occur in many locations,but most faults had displacement in the distant past and are unlikely to move again in the future.This means that most faults are

According to the moment magnitude scale (Mw),the amplitude of ground shaking during a magnitude 8 earthquake would be 1,000 times greater than a magnitude ________ earthquake.

The point within the Earth where an earthquake originates is termed the

The quantity of motion that occurs along a fault is termed

Surface waves

Designing and retrofitting building to withstand the effects of earthquakes is a type of

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

Pages of the Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

Crags,cracks,and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of the Earth

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Streams and Floods: the Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Introducing Rocks

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

The Rock Cycle

The Earth’s Interior Revisited: Insights from Geophysics

Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

Ever-Changing Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

Prelude: And Just What is Geology?

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According to the moment magnitude scale (M_w),the amplitude of ground shaking during a magnitude 8 earthquake would be 1,000 times greater than a magnitude ________ earthquake.