Chapter 3 Flashcards

1
Q

What type of earth material is prone to liquefaction?

A
  • artificial fill

- poorly consolidated sentiment

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2
Q

The second type of seismic wave to reach a recording station after an earthquake is called a ____ wave.

A
  • shear
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3
Q

A seismometer must be installed in contact with ____.

A
  • bedrock
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4
Q

P wave velocity depends upon the material through which the wave passes. Rank these materials from the fastest P velocity at the top

A
  • 1) granite rock
  • 2) packed sand
  • 3) loose sand
  • 4) water
  • 5) air
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5
Q

To determine the _____ of an earthquake, seismologists use a nomograph, which compares the distance from the hypocentre and the amplitude of the seismic waves.

A
  • magnitude
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6
Q

Seismic waves that pass through the interior of the planet are called ____ waves, whereas those that travel across the surface are called ____ waves.

A
  • body

- surface

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7
Q

What phenomenon can cause liquefaction?

A
  • earthquake vibrations

- rapid loading with excess weight

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8
Q

An earthquake occurs from the release of ____ when stress on a fault builds high enough for the rocks to fracture and move suddenly.

A
  • energy
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9
Q

Which of the following describes a primary (P) wave?

A
  • moves in a push-pull fashion
  • the first to reach a recording station
  • can travel through any material
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10
Q

Which of these correctly describe the nature of surface waves?

A
  • slow moving

- low frequency

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11
Q

In which techtonic environment do deep earthquakes occur?

A
  • subduction zones
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12
Q

What is a fault?

A
  • a fracture in bedrock along which sliding has occurred.
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13
Q

The velocity of P waves depends on the ____ and ____ of the material through which they pass.

A
  • density, compressibility
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14
Q

Because of their low frequency and slow speed, surface waves carry ____ amounts of energy away from the epicenter.

A
  • large
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15
Q

What phenomenon can cause liquefaction?

A
  • earthquake vibrations

- rapid loading with excdess weight

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16
Q

An earthquake of Richter magnitude 3 had a S wave amplitude of 1.2mm. What is the Richter magnitude of an earthquake with a S wave amplitude of 12mm, recorded at the same seismograph station?

A
  • 4
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17
Q

The two types of body waves are ____ waves and _____ waves.

A
  • primary

- secondary

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18
Q

The epicenter of an earthquake can be ____.

A
  • underwater
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19
Q

Why does the difference in arrival times between P and S waves increase with epicentral distance?

A
  • P waves travel faster than S waves
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20
Q

Place the four types of seismic waves in order of decreasing velocity, with the fastest at the top.

A
  • P waves
  • S waves
  • Love waves
  • Rayleigh waves
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21
Q

What might people have experiences during an earthquake of intensity IV?

A
  • light sleepers woke up
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22
Q

In which techtonic environment do megathrust earthquakes occur?

A
  • subduction zones
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23
Q

The acceleration due to gravity is ____, which is referred to as 1.0 g.

A
  • 9.8 m/sec2
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24
Q

Because their motion is up and down and side to side, ____ waves are the type of body wave that can do severe damage to buildings.

A
  • secondary
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25
Q

Love waves are a type of surface wave. They are similar to S waves in that they _____.

A
  • cannot travel through fluids but can travel through solid material.
  • travel with a shearing motion at right angles to their direction of advance.
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26
Q

Why was the 2010 Port-au-Prince earthquake so deadly?

A
  • the general population and decision-makers lacked awareness of earthquake risk
  • several buildings were poorly constructed
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27
Q

The rate of change in velocity of the ground as it is moved by seismic waves is called

A
  • acceleration
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28
Q

What is the main cause of earthquakes?

A
  • movements along faults
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29
Q

Which sections of the San Andreas fault have the highest seismic risk?

A
  • locked zones
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30
Q

A ____ is a planar feature where the two rock blocks on either side move past each other.

A
  • fault
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31
Q

If, during an earthquake, you feel like you’re being rocked in a boat at sea, you are most likely feeling the passage of ____ waves.

A
  • Rayleigh
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32
Q

An earthquake occurring in which of the following geological environment will have the largest felt area?

A
  • in the continental interior of North America.
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33
Q

Earthquakes are caused by a sudden fault rupture occuring

A
  • at the hypocentre
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34
Q

P waves can travel through air, where they take the form of ____ waves.

A
  • sound waves
35
Q

How can you identify an aftershock?

A
  • an aftershock has the same hypocentre as the main shock.
36
Q

Acceleration during an earthquake is usually measured relative to ____.

A
  • acceleration due to gravity
37
Q

How many seismograms are required to locate the epicenter of an earthquake?

A
  • a minimum of 3 seismograms from different stations
38
Q

Charles Richter based his earthquake magnitude scale on the idea that _____.

A
  • the bigger the earthquake, the greater the shaking of the earth.
39
Q

What is the dominant deformation force associated with megathrust faults?

A
  • shear
40
Q

If a wave has a frequency of 20 Hz, what is its period?

A
  • 0.05 s
41
Q

What was the cause of the 2015 Nepal earthquake?

A
  • the collision between the Indian and Eurasian Plates
42
Q

Why are brace frames added to buildings?

A
  • to reinforce the building against horizontal motions
43
Q

Place the four types of seismic waves in order of decreasing velocity, with the fastest at the top.

A
  • P waves
  • S waves
  • Love waves
  • Rayleigh waves
44
Q

Why don’t the rocks on either side of a fault simply slide past each other when stress is applied?

A
  • friction holds the rocks together
45
Q

If ten waves are recorded by a seismometer in one second, their frequency is:

A
  • 10 Hz
46
Q

The acceleration due to gravity is ____, which is referred to as 1.0g.

A
  • 9.8m/sec2
47
Q

What is a fault?

A
  • a fracture in bedrock along which sliding has occured.
48
Q

The San Andreas fault is ____.

A
  • a complex system of subparallel transform faults.
49
Q

How can you identify an aftershock?

A
  • an aftershock has the same hypocentre as the main shock.
50
Q

If local soil conditions were the same everywhere, how would the intensity contours look like on an isoseismal map?

A
  • concentric circles
51
Q

P waves travel through air, where they take the form of ___ waves.

A
  • sound
52
Q

In the pendulum seismograph, the pen ___.

A
  • remains static with respect to the base
53
Q

An isoseismal map displays contours of ____.

A
  • intensity reported by eye witness.
54
Q

Can you estimate the depth of the main magma chamber beneath Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii?

A
  • 10 km
55
Q

acceleration

A
  • the rate of change of motion
56
Q

aftershocks

A
  • smaller earthquakes following a mainshock on the same section of the fault. Aftershocks can continue for years following a mainshock.
57
Q

amplitude

A
  • the maximum displacement above or below the undisturbed position; for example, the height of a wave crest or depth of a trough.
58
Q

arrival time

A
  • the time at which a seismic wave is detected by a seismograph
59
Q

base isolation

A
  • a system protecting buildings from earthquakes by isolating the base of the structure from the shaking ground via rollers, shock absorbers, etc.
60
Q

body waves

A
  • seismic waves that travels through the Earth. Primary (P) waves and secondary (S) waves are body waves.
61
Q

creeping zone

A
  • a section of fault where seismic energy is released frequently in small to moderate earthquakes.
62
Q

felt area

A
  • an area of perceptible earthquake ground motion.
63
Q

foreshocks

A
  • smaller earthquakes that precedes a mainshock on the same section as a fault.
64
Q

fractures

A
  • a general term for any breaks in rock
65
Q

hertz (Hz)

A
  • a unit of frequency. One hertz (Hz) equals one cycle per second.
66
Q

inertia

A
  • the property by which matter will remain at rest unless acted on by an external force.
67
Q

isoseismal maps

A
  • maps that uses contour lines to represent areas of equal Mercalli intensity.
68
Q

liquefaction

A
  • the temporary transformation of water-saturated loose sediment into a fluid typically caused by strong earthquake shaking
69
Q

locked zone

A
  • a section of a fault that has not released seismic energy for along time
70
Q

mainshock

A
  • the largest earthquake in a sequence.
71
Q

megathrust earthquakes

A
  • very large earthquakes that occur when stress accumulates at the contact between a subducting plate and overriding plate.
72
Q

natural frequency

A
  • the frequency at which a mechanical system (e.g. a soil, a building) vibrates when disturbed.
73
Q

period

A
  • the length of time for a complete cycle of waves to pass; period = 1/frequency
74
Q

primary (P) wave

A
  • the first seismic wave to reach a seismometer. movement is by alternating push-pull pulses that travel through solids, liquids, and gas.
75
Q

resonance

A
  • a vibrating body moves with maximum amplitude when the frequency of an imposed external forcing function is the same as its natural frequency
76
Q

retrofitting

A
  • reinforcing or strengthening an existing building or other structure.
77
Q

secondary (S) wave

A
  • the second seismic wave to reach a seismometer. Movement occurs by shearing particles at right angles to the directing of propogation. S waves move through solids only.
78
Q

seism

A
  • an earthquake
79
Q

seismic waves

A
  • a general term for all vibrations generated by earthquakes
80
Q

seismic-gap method

A
  • a theory that states that earthquakes are expected next along those fault segments that have not moved for the longest time.
81
Q

seismograms

A
  • the records made by a seismograph
82
Q

seismology

A
  • the study of earthquakes and the Earth’s interior, based on the analysis of seismic data.
83
Q

seismometers

A
  • instruments hat detect Earth motions
84
Q

surface waves

A
  • seismic waves that travel along the Earth’s surface only. Love and Rayleigh waves are surface waves.