Earthquakes

Question 1

What is an earthquake?

Answer 1

An earthquake is the shaking of the Earth’s surface caused by the sudden release of energy in the Earth’s lithosphere.

Question 2

True or False: Earthquakes can only occur in areas near tectonic plate boundaries.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

What is the point on the Earth’s surface directly above the focus of an earthquake called?

Answer 3

Epicenter

Question 4

Fill in the blank: The scale used to measure the magnitude of an earthquake is called the ____ scale.

Answer 4

Richter

Question 5

What are tectonic plates?

Answer 5

Tectonic plates are large sections of the Earth’s lithosphere that move and interact with one another.

Question 6

True or False: Aftershocks are smaller earthquakes that occur in the same area after a larger earthquake.

Answer 6

True

Question 7

What is a seismograph?

Answer 7

A seismograph is an instrument that detects and records the vibrations caused by earthquakes.

Question 8

Fill in the blank: The ____ is the underground point where an earthquake originates.

Answer 8

Focus

Question 9

Fill in the blank: The area where two tectonic plates meet is known as a ____.

Answer 9

Plate boundary

Question 10

What is a tsunami?

Answer 10

A tsunami is a series of ocean waves caused by large disturbances such as underwater earthquakes.

Question 11

True or False: All earthquakes are destructive.

Answer 11

False

Question 12

What is the primary cause of most earthquakes?

Answer 12

The movement of tectonic plates

Question 13

What is an example of a fault line

Answer 13

San Andreas fault line

Question 14

What are the main reasons of an earthquake to happen

Answer 14

Plates colliding, slide past each other

Question 15

Name 3 locations that earthquakes are in

Answer 15

Pacific ring of fire ( Japan,California), Himalayas (Nepal, China), Mediterranean (Turkey, Italy)

Question 16

What’s a Ricther scale

Answer 16

A scale from 1-10 on how powerful an earthquake is 9.5 is the largest ever recorded, Chile 1960

Question 17

Long answer: describe how an earthquake takes place.

Answer 17

Strongest earthquakes happen at destructive plate boundaries. These two plates collide, and over decades pressure builds up at a point called a fault line. When the pressure gets too great, one plate slips releasing energy known as an earthquake. The point where energy is released is called the focus. Energy travels out in all directions, tremors. Most damage at epicentre. It can cause a tsunami. Eg. Japan 2011 earthquake and tsunami.