Earthquakes

Question 1

seismology

Answer 1

the study of earthquakes

Question 2

deformation

Answer 2

the bending, tilting, and breaking of the Earth’s crust; the change in shape of rock in response to stress

Question 3

elastic rebound

Answer 3

the sudden return of elastically deformed rock to its undeformed shape

Question 4

seismic waves

Answer 4

waves of energy that travel through the Earth, away from an earthquake in all directions

Question 5

P-waves

Answer 5

a seismic wave that causes particles of a rock to move in a back and forth direction, fastest, through liquid and solid (body wave)

Question 6

S-waves

Answer 6

a seismic wave that causes particles of a rock to move in a side-to-side direction, through the Earth (only solid), slower wave

Question 7

seismographs

Answer 7

an instrument that records vibrations in the ground and determines the location and strength of an earthquake

Question 8

seismogram

Answer 8

a tracing of earthquake motion that is created by a seismograph

Question 9

epicenter

Answer 9

the point on Earth’s surface directly above an earthquake’s starting point or focus

Question 10

focus

Answer 10

the point along a fault at which the first motion of an earthquake occurs

Question 11

magnitude

Answer 11

the measure of the strength of an earthquake

Question 12

Richter Magnitude Scale

Answer 12

measures the strength of earthquakes

Question 13

intensity

Answer 13

a measure of the degree to which an earthquake is felt by people and the amount of damage caused by the earthquake

Question 14

Modified Mercalli Intensity

Answer 14

used to measure earthquake intensity

Question 15

where are earthquakes common?

Answer 15

along plate boundaries and faults

Question 16

what is a fault?

Answer 16

a break in the Earth’s crust where the plates shift

Question 17

surface wave

Answer 17

travels on surface of the Earth

Question 18

body wave

Answer 18

travels through the Earth

Question 19

lag time

Answer 19

difference in arrival time of P and S waves

Question 20

why could volcanoes be creative and destructive

Answer 20

they create land but they destroy surrounding areas

Question 21

how do water/gas and silica influence eruptions

Answer 21

more of either of them makes the magma more explosive

Question 22

shield volcano

Answer 22

runny lava, quiet eruptions (biggest type of volcano)

Question 23

composite volcano

Answer 23

explosive eruptions, lava + pyroclastic material

Question 24

cinder cone volcano

Answer 24

mildly explosive

Question 25

dormant volcanoes

Answer 25

not currently active but could become restless and erupt again

Question 26

active volcanoes

Answer 26

has erupted in historic time, continuous or periodic eruptions

Question 27

extinct volcanoes

Answer 27

has not erupted in historic time (unlikely to erupt again)

Question 28

how are lava plateaus formed

Answer 28

lava spread repeatedly over a large area

Question 29

how are calderas formed

Answer 29

by the collapse of the magma chamber

Question 30

L (love) waves

Answer 30

travels on surface of the Earth, slowest and most destructive waves, up down and around motion