earthquakes and earthquake hazards (11)

Question 1

earthquakes

Answer 1

vibration of earth produced by the rapid release of energy

Question 2

faults

Answer 2

a break in a rock mass along which movement has occurred

Question 3

hypocenter

Answer 3

the zone within earth where rock displacement produces an earthquake

Question 4

epicenter

Answer 4

the location on earth’s surface that lies directly above the focus of an earthquake

Question 5

seismic wave

Answer 5

a rapidly moving ocean wave generate by earthquake activity capable of inflicting heavy damage in coastal regions

Question 6

what caused much of the damage in the San Francisco (1906) earthquake?

Answer 6

much of the damage was caused by fires that became uncontrollable because of broken water mains

Question 7

elastic rebound

Answer 7

the sudden release of stored strain in rocks that results in movement along a fault (developed by H.F. Reid)

Question 8

foreshock

Answer 8

a small earthquake that may precede a major earthquake

Question 9

aftershock

Answer 9

a smaller earthquake that follow the main earthquake

Question 10

what kind of fault generated the 2015 Nepal earthquake?

Answer 10

thrust fault

Question 11

megathrust fault

Answer 11

the plate boundary separating a subducting slab of oceanic lithosphere and the overlying plate

Question 12

strike-slip fault

Answer 12

faults in which the dominant displacement is horizontal and parallel to the direction of the fault trace

Question 13

fault creep

Answer 13

gradual displacement along a fault. such activity occurs relatively smoothly and with little noticeable seismic activity

Question 14

seismology

Answer 14

the study of earthquakes and seismic waves

Question 15

who invented the earliest known seismograph?

Answer 15

Zhang Heng

Question 16

seismograph

Answer 16

an instrument that records earthquake waves (seismometer)

Question 17

inertia

Answer 17

a property by which objects at rest tend to remain at rest tend to remain at rest, and objects in motion tend to stay in motion unless either is acted upon by an outside force

Question 18

body wave

Answer 18

a seismic wave that travels through earths interior

Question 19

surface waves

Answer 19

seismic waves that travel along the outer layer of earth

Question 20

primary waves

Answer 20

seismic waves that involve alternating compression and expansion of the material through which they pass

Question 21

secondary waves

Answer 21

seismic waves that involve oscillation perpendicular to the direction of propagation

Question 22

intensity

Answer 22

a measure of the degree of earthquake shaking at a given locale, based on the amount of damage

Question 23

magnitude

Answer 23

an estimate of the total amount of energy released during an earthquake, based on seismic records

Question 24

modified mercalli intensity scale

Answer 24

a 12-point scale developed to evaluate earthquake intensity, based on the amount of damage to various structures

Question 25

moment magnitude

Answer 25

a more precise measure of earthquake magnitude than the Richter scale that is derived from the amount of displacement that occurs along a fault zone

Question 26

what kind of soil amplifies the up-and-down seismic vibrations more than solid bedrock?

Answer 26

water-saturated

Question 27

liquefaction

Answer 27

the transformation of a stable soil into a fluid that is often unable to support buildings or other structures

Question 28

tsunami

Answer 28

the Japanese work for a seismic sea wave

Question 29

circum-pacific belt

Answer 29

an area surrounding the basin of the Pacific Ocean where the oceanic lithosphere is continually subducted beneath the surrounding continental plates

Question 30

precursor

Answer 30

events or changes that precede an earthquakes and may provide a warning

Question 31

seismic gap

Answer 31

a segment of an active fault zone that has not experienced a major earthquake over a span when most other segments have