Earthquakes

Question 1

What is an earthquake?

Answer 1

A sudden or violent movement within the earth’s crust followed by a series of shocks.

Question 2

Focus

Answer 2

The point where the earthquake starts.

Question 3

Epicentre

Answer 3

Point on the ground directly above the focus.

Question 4

Seismic wave

Answer 4

Energy released by an earthquake

Question 5

What was the biggest earthquake ever recorded

Answer 5

It was in Chili in 1960 and it was 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale.

Question 6

What are the 5 impacts of earthquakes

Answer 6

• buildings destroyed or damaged
• soil liquifaction (ground turning to quicksand)
• fires
• tsunamis
• landslides

Question 7

How can we reduce the impacts of earthquakes

Answer 7

• drop, cover, hold on
• a seismic building design (e.g. base isolators or pendulums)

Question 8

What’s the name of the island that Haiti is on?

Answer 8

Hispaniola

Question 9

What is the capital of Haiti?

Answer 9

Port-au-Prince

Question 10

What country does Haiti border?

Answer 10

Dominican Republic

Question 11

What was Haiti the first to do at the start of the 19th century?

Answer 11

They had the first successful slave revolt.

Question 12

What fault line is Haiti on?

Answer 12

It’s the place where the American and the Caribbean plates meet.

Question 13

What date was the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 13

12 January 2010

Question 14

How far below the surface was the focus?

Answer 14

10 kiliometres

Question 15

How long did the 2010 Haiti earthquake last?

Answer 15

30 seconds

Question 16

How big was the Haiti earthquake on the moment magnitude scale?

Answer 16

7.0

Question 17

How much of the population resided in Haiti’s capital?

Answer 17

25%

Question 18

How many people died in the 30 seconds of the earthquake?

Answer 18

220,000

Question 19

How many people were injured in the 30 seconds of the earthquake?

Answer 19

300,000

Question 20

How many people became homeless after the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 20

1.5 million

Question 21

What are the different types of plate margins?

Answer 21

• Conservative plate margin
• Constructive plate margin
• Destructive plate margin

Question 22

What is the movement of the plates in a conservative plate margin?

Answer 22

The plates move passed each other, or are side by side moving at different speeds.

Question 23

What is the movement of the plates in a destructive plate margin?

Answer 23

When two plates move towards each other it’s usually with one continental and one oceanic crust, and because of this the oceanic plate is subducted.
If it’s 2 continental plates colliding they will buckle upwards and form a mountain.

Question 24

What is the movement of the plates in a constructive plate margin?

Answer 24

At a constructive plate margin the plates move apart from one another.
The movement creates new land in the form of a shields volcano.
The movement of the plates over the mantle can also cause earthquakes.

Question 25

What is the name of the fault in the Haiti earthquake

Answer 25

Enriquillo - Plantain Garden Fault