Question 1

Which of the following describes earthquakes?

Accepted Answer

A)  Earthquakes are an abrupt release of energy. 
B)  Prediction of earthquakes is an established science, which gives global citizens a chance to evacuate ahead of time. 
C)  Earthquakes have never occurred in the middle of the USA. 
D)  No earthquake has been measured higher than 7 on the Richter scale. 
E)  All earthquakes happen within one kilometer of the Earth's surface. 
A)  Earthquakes are an abrupt release of energy. 
B)  Prediction of earthquakes is an established science, which gives global citizens a chance to evacuate ahead of time. 
C)  Earthquakes have never occurred in the middle of the USA. 
D)  No earthquake has been measured higher than 7 on the Richter scale. 
E)  All earthquakes happen within one kilometer of the Earth's surface.

Question 2

What are the processes that build stress in brittle rocks?

Accepted Answer

Heated rocks expand and cooled rocks con

Question 3

What are the two construction approaches to designing earthquake-resistant buildings? What size building is applicable to each?

Accepted Answer

Buildings must either be designed to be

Question 4

How do seismologists use the vibration energy released by earthquakes?

Accepted Answer

Seismologists around the world record th

Question 5

If you took a vacation driving to the oldest part of the North American continent you would need to bring a map of

Accepted Answer

A)  Wichita, Kansas. 
B)  northeastern Canada. 
C)  the Cascade Range of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 
D)  Baja, California. 
E)  the Black Hills of South Dakota. 
A)  Wichita, Kansas. 
B)  northeastern Canada. 
C)  the Cascade Range of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 
D)  Baja, California. 
E)  the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Question 6

Which earthquakes in the United States gets the most attention and why?

Accepted Answer

In the United States, earthquakes at the

Question 7

Explain the wide range in age differences between the age of the continents measured in billions of years and the age of the ocean floor measured in millions of years.

Accepted Answer

Answers will vary; the ocean f

Question 8

What would the Earth topography look like after 4.5 billion years if plate tectonics were not an active process? Why?

Accepted Answer

Erosion would have flattened the land a

Question 9

Which of these waves is classified as a type of seismic wave following earthquakes?

Accepted Answer

A)  transverse 
B)  compressional 
C)  longitudinal 
D)  shear waves 
E)  all of these are correct 
A)  transverse 
B)  compressional 
C)  longitudinal 
D)  shear waves 
E)  all of these are correct

Question 10

What is the force that moves continents and tectonic plates?

Accepted Answer

A)  convection cells 
B)  mantle convection 
C)  radioactive decay 
D)  heat energy left from the great bombardment 
E)  all of these are correct 
A)  convection cells 
B)  mantle convection 
C)  radioactive decay 
D)  heat energy left from the great bombardment 
E)  all of these are correct

Question 11

What is always characteristic of a tectonic plate?

Accepted Answer

A)  made of basalt 
B)  comprised of crust and some mantle material 
C)  made of granite 
D)  has a thickness of at least 35 km 
E)  all of these are correct 
A)  made of basalt 
B)  comprised of crust and some mantle material 
C)  made of granite 
D)  has a thickness of at least 35 km 
E)  all of these are correct

Question 12

What causes the 'Ring of Fire,' which borders much of the Pacific Ocean?

Accepted Answer

A)  plate subduction 
B)  divergent plates 
C)  sea-floor spreading 
D)  transform plate motion 
E)  all of these are correct 
A)  plate subduction 
B)  divergent plates 
C)  sea-floor spreading 
D)  transform plate motion 
E)  all of these are correct

Question 13

The transform plate boundaries

Accepted Answer

A)  form new material at rates exceeding that of the divergent plate boundaries. 
B)  are the location of island arcs and hot spots. 
C)  created the Andes Mountains in South America. 
D)  are exemplified by the San Andreas fault. 
E)  are sites of major volcano ranges. 
A)  form new material at rates exceeding that of the divergent plate boundaries. 
B)  are the location of island arcs and hot spots. 
C)  created the Andes Mountains in South America. 
D)  are exemplified by the San Andreas fault. 
E)  are sites of major volcano ranges.

Question 14

The magnetic patterns from seafloor data

Accepted Answer

A)  were created by magnetite in lava flows. 
B)  are caused by hot spots. 
C)  are indicators of past and future earthquake sites. 
D)  have no one explanation accepted by scientists. 
E)  always run perpendicular to the equator. 
A)  were created by magnetite in lava flows. 
B)  are caused by hot spots. 
C)  are indicators of past and future earthquake sites. 
D)  have no one explanation accepted by scientists. 
E)  always run perpendicular to the equator.

Question 15

What evidence convinced most scientists to accept the theory of plate tectonics?

Accepted Answer

A)  ocean topography 
B)  magnetism of the ocean basin rocks 
C)  discovery of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge 
D)  radiometric dating of the basaltic rocks 
E)  all of these are correct 
A)  ocean topography 
B)  magnetism of the ocean basin rocks 
C)  discovery of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge 
D)  radiometric dating of the basaltic rocks 
E)  all of these are correct

Question 16

Describe the changes in curriculum organization in geology departments in recent years.

Accepted Answer

Many former geology department

Question 17

Where is the longest mountain range on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mid-Atlantic Ocean Ridge 
B)  Andes Mountains in South America 
C)  Himalayas in India 
D)  Appalachians in the eastern United States 
E)  Urals in Russia 
A)  Mid-Atlantic Ocean Ridge 
B)  Andes Mountains in South America 
C)  Himalayas in India 
D)  Appalachians in the eastern United States 
E)  Urals in Russia

Question 18

What are some examples of "precursor events" that may signal that an earthquake is imminent?

Accepted Answer

In some instances, domestic an

Question 19

Explain the statement 'Good scientists will eventually accept the implications of their observations, whether those implications violate conventional ideas or not.'

Accepted Answer

Scientists should not look at

Question 20

Divergent plate boundaries are associated with

Accepted Answer

A)  seafloor spreading. 
B)  formation of new crust. 
C)  volcanic action. 
D)  shallow, low-energy earthquakes. 
E)  all of these are correct 
A)  seafloor spreading. 
B)  formation of new crust. 
C)  volcanic action. 
D)  shallow, low-energy earthquakes. 
E)  all of these are correct

Exam 17: Plate Tectonics: Can We Predict Destructive Earthquakes

Which of the following describes earthquakes?

What are the processes that build stress in brittle rocks?

What are the two construction approaches to designing earthquake-resistant buildings? What size building is applicable to each?

How do seismologists use the vibration energy released by earthquakes?

If you took a vacation driving to the oldest part of the North American continent you would need to bring a map of

Which earthquakes in the United States gets the most attention and why?

Explain the wide range in age differences between the age of the continents measured in billions of years and the age of the ocean floor measured in millions of years.

What would the Earth topography look like after 4.5 billion years if plate tectonics were not an active process? Why?

Which of these waves is classified as a type of seismic wave following earthquakes?

What is the force that moves continents and tectonic plates?

What is always characteristic of a tectonic plate?

What causes the 'Ring of Fire,' which borders much of the Pacific Ocean?

The transform plate boundaries

The magnetic patterns from seafloor data

What evidence convinced most scientists to accept the theory of plate tectonics?

Describe the changes in curriculum organization in geology departments in recent years.

Where is the longest mountain range on Earth?

What are some examples of "precursor events" that may signal that an earthquake is imminent?

Explain the statement 'Good scientists will eventually accept the implications of their observations, whether those implications violate conventional ideas or not.'

Divergent plate boundaries are associated with

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