Question 1

The ___________ the earthquake, the LESS severe the damage will be.

Accepted Answer

A) larger the magnitude of 
B) longer the duration of 
C) farther you arefrom 
D) closer you are to 
A) larger the magnitude of 
B) longer the duration of 
C) farther you arefrom 
D) closer you are to C

Question 2

Why do deep-focus earthquakes occur along convergent plate boundaries? Why do they not occur along divergent or transform boundaries?

Accepted Answer

Convergent plate boundaries result in subduction where one plate descends below another. Deep-focus earthquakes occur within the subducted lithosphere as it sinks down through the asthenosphere. This does not happen along divergent or transform boundaries where the earthquakes are all relatively shallow.

Question 3

What is the magnitude of the earthquake shown in the image below?

Accepted Answer

A) 5 
B) 24 
C) 220 
D) 6 
A) 5 
B) 24 
C) 220 
D) 6 A

Question 4

Which type of seismic wave has the fastest velocity?

Accepted Answer

A) L-wave 
B) P-wave 
C) R-wave 
D) S-wave 
A) L-wave 
B) P-wave 
C) R-wave 
D) S-wave

Question 5

A tsunami is

Accepted Answer

A) a sea wave generated by a displacement of water. 
B) a sloshing of water back and forth within a lake or a bay. 
C) a wave caused by unusually large tidal forces. 
D) the tendency of wet, clay-rich soils to behave like a liquid during an earthquake. 
A) a sea wave generated by a displacement of water. 
B) a sloshing of water back and forth within a lake or a bay. 
C) a wave caused by unusually large tidal forces. 
D) the tendency of wet, clay-rich soils to behave like a liquid during an earthquake.

Question 6

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 7

Where is the best place to be in an earthquake?

Accepted Answer

A) in an empty field 
B) in a brick house 
C) in a doorway 
D) on the beach 
A) in an empty field 
B) in a brick house 
C) in a doorway 
D) on the beach

Question 8

How is the Mercalli intensity scale used to determine the magnitude of an earthquake? What errors might be associated with this technique?

Accepted Answer

The Mercalli intensity scale defines ear

Question 9

Evidence of a past earthquake may be found by looking for offset beds or

Accepted Answer

A) liquefaction. 
B) sand volcanoes. 
C) stress fractures. 
D) foliation. 
A) liquefaction. 
B) sand volcanoes. 
C) stress fractures. 
D) foliation.

Question 10

What occurs when earthquakes cause pore pressure to increase, which in turn causes grains to separate and compact?

Accepted Answer

A) liquefaction 
B) aftershocks 
C) normal faults 
D) landslides 
A) liquefaction 
B) aftershocks 
C) normal faults 
D) landslides

Question 11

The vast majority of earthquakes occur

Accepted Answer

A) associated with isostatic rebound. 
B) near hotspots. 
C) along passive margins. 
D) along all types of plate boundaries. 
A) associated with isostatic rebound. 
B) near hotspots. 
C) along passive margins. 
D) along all types of plate boundaries.

Question 12

An earthquake occurs with an epicenter in the town of New Madrid, Missouri, in the interior of the North American Plate. Where might the hypocenter of this earthquake plausibly be found?

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 north of 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 north of New Madrid

Question 13

Long-term prediction methods include(s)

Accepted Answer

A) early warning systems. 
B)  behavior of animals. 
C) seismic risk assessment. 
D) recognition of foreshocks. 
A) early warning systems. 
B)  behavior of animals. 
C) seismic risk assessment. 
D) recognition of foreshocks.

Question 14

The ___________ of a fault gives the average time between events.

Accepted Answer

A) displacement 
B) exceedance probability 
C) recurrence interval 
D) annual probability 
A) displacement 
B) exceedance probability 
C) recurrence interval 
D) annual probability

Question 15

According to the image below, which seismic wave phase is likely to cause the most damage?

Accepted Answer

A) P-wave 
B) S-wave 
C) surface wave 
D) aftershock 
A) P-wave 
B) S-wave 
C) surface wave 
D) aftershock

Question 16

According to the moment magnitude scale (Mw), 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

Which seismic wave phase causes the ground to roll like a wave?

Accepted Answer

A) P-wave 
B) S-wave 
C) Rayleigh wave 
D) Love wave 
A) P-wave 
B) S-wave 
C) Rayleigh wave 
D) Love wave

Question 18

A surface along which rock on opposed sides is offset by an earthquake-induced slip is called a

Accepted Answer

A) joint. 
B) fault. 
C) fold. 
D) wall. 
A) joint. 
B) fault. 
C) fold. 
D) wall.

Question 19

Describe two earthquake-related hazards.

Accepted Answer

Student answers should include two of th

Question 20

According to the following diagram, the energy released by the 1994 Northridge earthquakes was roughly the same as the energy released by

Accepted Answer

A) the H-bomb. 
B) Mount St. Helens. 
C) a tornado. 
D) a hurricane. 
A) the H-bomb. 
B) Mount St. Helens. 
C) a tornado. 
D) a hurricane.

Exam 8: A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

The ___________ the earthquake, the LESS severe the damage will be.

Why do deep-focus earthquakes occur along convergent plate boundaries? Why do they not occur along divergent or transform boundaries?

What is the magnitude of the earthquake shown in the image below?

Which type of seismic wave has the fastest velocity?

A tsunami is

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

Where is the best place to be in an earthquake?

How is the Mercalli intensity scale used to determine the magnitude of an earthquake? What errors might be associated with this technique?

Evidence of a past earthquake may be found by looking for offset beds or

What occurs when earthquakes cause pore pressure to increase, which in turn causes grains to separate and compact?

The vast majority of earthquakes occur

An earthquake occurs with an epicenter in the town of New Madrid, Missouri, in the interior of the North American Plate. Where might the hypocenter of this earthquake plausibly be found?

Long-term prediction methods include(s)

The ___________ of a fault gives the average time between events.

According to the image below, which seismic wave phase is likely to cause the most damage?

According to the moment magnitude scale (Mw), a magnitude 8 earthquake would be 1,000 times greater than a magnitude ___________ earthquake.

Which seismic wave phase causes the ground to roll like a wave?

A surface along which rock on opposed sides is offset by an earthquake-induced slip is called a

Describe two earthquake-related hazards.

According to the following diagram, the energy released by the 1994 Northridge earthquakes was roughly the same as the energy released by

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks

A Process of Change: Metamorphism and the Rock Cycle

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

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Shaping the Earths Surface: Landscapes, the Hydrologic Cycle, and Mass Wasting

Freshwater: Streams, Lakes, and Groundwater

Extreme Realms: Desert and Glacial Landscapes

Ocean Waters: the Blue of the Blue Marble

Marine Geology: the Study of Ocean Basins and Coasts

The Air We Breathe: Introducing Earths Atmosphere

Winds of the World: the Earths Major Weather Systems

Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, and Local Weather Systems

Climate and Climate Change

Our Solar System and Beyond

Our Neighborhood in Space

The Sun, Stars, and Deep Space

Prelude: Welcome to Earth Science

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