Chapter 8 Earthquakes and Earth's Interior Flashcards
What is a fault?
a. a place on Earth where earthquakes cannot occur
b. a fracture in Earth where movement has occurred
c. the place on Earth’s surface where structures move
during an earthquake
d. another name for an earthquake
b. a fracture in Earth where movement has occurred
What is an earthquake’s epicenter?
a. the place on the surface directly above the focus
b. a spot halfway between the focus and the surface
c. the spot below the focus
d. any spot along the nearest fault
a. the place on the surface directly above the focus
Most earthquakes are produced by the rapid release
of which kind of energy stored in rock subjected to
great forces?
a. kinetic
b. thermal
c. elastic
d. mechanical
c. elastic
A seismogram shows that P waves travel
a. at the same speed as surface waves.
b. more slowly than S waves.
c. at the same speed as S waves.
d. faster than S waves.
d. faster than S waves.
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of S waves?
a. They travel more slowly than P waves.
b. They are also called longitudinal waves.
c. They shake particles at right angles to their direction
of travel.
d. They cannot be transmitted through water or air.
b. They are also called longitudinal waves.
A travel-time graph can be used to find the
a. focus of an earthquake.
b. strength of an earthquake.
c. damage caused by an earthquake.
d. epicenter of an earthquake.
d. epicenter of an earthquake.
Where do most earthquakes occur?
a. in the mountains of Africa
b. around the edge of the Pacific Ocean
c. around the edge of the Atlantic Ocean
d. on the western lowlands of Europe
b. around the edge of the Pacific Ocean
An earthquake’s magnitude is a measure of the
a. size of seismic waves it produces.
b. amount of shaking it produces.
c. size of surface waves it produces.
d. damage it causes.
a. size of seismic waves it produces.
What measurement for earthquake do scientists use most often today? a. seismic scale b. Richter scale c. moment magnitude scale d. epicenter magnitude scale
c. moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude is calculated using all of the
following factors EXCEPT for the
a. surface area of a fault.
b. magnitude of past earthquakes in the area.
c. average displacement along a fault.
d. rigidity of rock in the area.
b. magnitude of past earthquakes in the area.
Liquefaction occurs when
a. large waves wash over coastal areas and destroy
structures.
b. earthquakes occur in the ocean and damage ships at sea.
c. loose, saturated soil turns into liquid that can’t support
buildings.
d. mud slides downhill and buries buildings.
c. loose, saturated soil turns into liquid that can’t support
buildings.
A tsunami can occur when there is vertical movement at a fault under a. a mountain range. b. the San Andreas Fault. c. the ocean floor. d. a small inland lake.
c. the ocean floor.
Violent shaking from an earthquake can cause soil and rock on slopes to move and cause a a. fault. b. landslide. c. tsunami. d. sinkhole.
b. landslide.
Which of the following is used to determine earthquake
risk?
a. strain in rocks near faults
b. height of ocean waves after earthquakes
c. changes in the color of rocks near faults
d. hydrogen gas emissions near fractures
a. strain in rocks near faults
Earth’s thin, rocky outer layer is its
a. core.
b. mantle.
c. crust.
d. outer core.
c. crust.
