Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Science Semester 2 > Earthquakes and Volcanoes > Flashcards

Earthquakes and Volcanoes Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What are Earthquakes?

A

the vibrations in the ground that result from movement along breaks in Earth’s lithosphere

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Where do most earthquakes occur?

A

In the ocean and along the edges of continents. Mainly along plate boundaries.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What causes earthquakes?

A

Earthquakes result from the buildup and release of stress along active plate boundaries.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Where do the deepest earthquakes occur?

A

Along convergent plate boundaries because the denser oceanic plate subducts into the mantle. They usually release a lot of energy and can be quite disastrous.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Where are shallow earthquakes found?

A

Along divergent plate boundaries like the mid-ocean ridge system, or along transform plate boundaries like the San Andreas Fault.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is a fault?

A

A break in the Earth’s lithosphere where one block of rock moves toward, away from, or past another.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What are the three different types of motion found along faults?

A

Sliding horizontally past each other in opposite directions (strike-slip fault and transform plate boundary)
Pulling two blocks of rock apart (Normal fault and divergent plate boundary)
Pushing two blocks of rock together (Reverse fault and convergent plate boundary)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What type of motion is found along a reverse fault?

A

pushing two blocks of rock together

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is rock deformation?

A

When forces, such as pressure, are applied to rock and the rock changes shape.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what is a primary wave

A

Also called p-waves, cause particles in the ground to move in a push-pull motion similar to a coiled spring. Fastest moving seismic wave. first waves felt following an earthquake. travel through solids and liquids.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what is a secondary wave

A

also called s-waves. slower than p-waves. cause particles to move up and down at right angles relative to the direction the wave travels. can travel through solids only

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

what is a surface wave

A

cause particles in the ground to move up and down in a rolling motion similar to ocean waves. only travel on Earth’s surface closest to the epicenter. cause most damage to the surface of the Earth

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

what is a seismic wave

A

energy that travels as vibrations on and in Earth

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

what is a seismogram

A

a graphical illustration of seismic waves that records ground motion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

what is a seismometer

A

an instrument that measures and records ground motion and can be used to determine the distance seismic waves travel.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

what is a seismologist

A

scientists that study earthquakes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what is the epicenter

A

The location on Earth’s surface directly above the earthquake’s surface

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

what is the focus

A

where seismic waves originate where rocks first move along the fault, at a location inside Earth

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

what is the mantle

A

the thick middle layer in the solid part of Earth

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

what is a convergent plate boundary

A

the boundary between two plates that moves toward each other

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Where do volcanoes form?

A

Along convergent plate boundaries, divergent plate boundaries, and hot spots.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What is the Ring of Fire?

A

An area of earthquake and volcanic activity that surrounds the Pacific Ocean

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What happens when mantle melts?

A

It forms magma. The magma is less dense than the mantle and rises through the cracks in the crust. This forms a volcano.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What determines a volcano’s eruption style?

A

The magma chemistry. The amount of dissolved gases, specifically the amount of water vapor, a magma contains, and silica.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What determines the viscosity of magma?

A

the amount of silica in a magma. If it has a high silica content it has a high viscosity and flows like sticky toothpaste. If it has low silica content it has a low viscosity and flows easily like warm maple syrup.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Explain the difference between shield volcanoes and composite volcanoes?

A

shield volcanoes are common along divergent plate boundaries and oceanic hot spots. they are large with gentle slopes and basaltic lavas. Composite volcanoes are large, steep-sided volcanoes that usually result from explosive eruptions of andesitic and rhyolitic lava and ash along convergent pate boundaries.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Molten rocks erupts from a _______

A

volcano

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

______ is molten rock that flows along Earth’s surface

A

lava

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

A ________ is not associated with any plate boundary

A

hot spot

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

A ________ is large and steep-sided, occurs along convergent plate boundaries, and results from explosive eruptions

A

composite volcano

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

______ have gentle slopes of basaltic lava; they are commonly located along divergent plate boundaries and ocean hot spots

A

shield volcanoes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

A _______ is small and steep-sided, and it erupts basaltic lava

A

cinder cone

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

_____ is present beneath Earth’s surface

A

magma

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

When magma erupts explosively, it can send particles of rock and glass, or _____ into the air

A

volcanic ash

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

Magma’s resistance to flow is called its _____

A

viscosity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

Magma contains _____ gases, including carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide

A

dissolved

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

A(n) ________ is a vent in Earth’s crust through which molten rock flows.

A

volcano

38
Q

Molten rock below Earth’s surface is called _____

A

magma

39
Q

Volcanoes can form along ______ plate boundaries, when one plate subducts under another.

A

convergent

40
Q

Magma from the hot _____ rises through cracks in the crust and forms a volcano

A

mantle

41
Q

Molten rock that erupts onto Earth’s surface is called _____

A

lava

42
Q

At ______ plate boundaries, magma rises in cracks between the two plates forming volcanoes

A

divergent

43
Q

Volcanoes that are not associated with plate boundaries are called ______

A

hot spots

44
Q

Geologists theorize that hot spots form over ______, which are places where hot magma rises due to convection currents in the mantle.

A

plume

45
Q

Most volcanoes occur on or along ______

A

plate boundaries

46
Q

The _____ is the area of earthquake and volcanic activity that surrounds the Pacific Ocean

A

Ring of Fire

47
Q

Most volcanoes in the United States occur near the ______ coast.

A

West

48
Q

_____ are small, steep-sided volcanoes that erupt gas-rich, basaltic lavas

A

cinder cones

49
Q

_____ are large, steep-sided volcanoes that result from explosive eruptions of andesitic and rhyolitic lava along convergent plate boundaries

A

composite volcanoes

50
Q

______ are large, gentle-sloped volcanoes that result from quiet eruptions of basaltic lavas along divergent plate boundaries and oceanic hot spots

A

shield volcanoes

51
Q

_____ travel slowly and rarely are deadly; they can last for many months or longer

A

Lava flows

52
Q

_____ can explode out of a volcano up to 40 km into the air

A

Volcanic ash

53
Q

_____ form when thermal energy from an erupting volcano melts snow. The meltwater can mix with _____ and _____ from the volcano and it flows downhill

A

mudflows
mud
ash

54
Q

A(n) _______ is a fast-moving avalanche of hot gas, ash, and volcanic rock

A

pyroclastic flow

55
Q

Volcanic eruption can be _______ by studying changes in the ground and patterns of earthquakes

A

predicted

56
Q

_____, made up of tiny particles of pulverized volcanic rock and glass, erupts explosively

A

volcanic ash

57
Q

The eruption style of a volcano depends on the amount of ______ dissolved in the magma, especially the amount of water vapor

A

gases

58
Q

_____ is a fluid’s resistance to flow. Viscosity of lava is higher when the magma has a high ______ content

A

viscosity

silica

59
Q

As magma rises toward Earth’s surface, the pressure on it ______. Bubbles of ____ form and rise in the magma. The bubbles affect the _____ of lava and the type of rock that forms as lava cools

A

decreases
gas
idk

60
Q

The release of a large amount of volcanic ash can affect the Earth’s climate by blocking ______

A

sunlight

61
Q

When droplets of sulfuric acid from volcanoes form in the atmosphere, they _____ sunlight into space

A

reflect

62
Q

Volcanic ash and acid droplets in the atmosphere _____ Earth’s climate

A

affect

63
Q

_____ are the vibrations in the ground that result from movement along breaks in Earth’s lithosphere

A

earthquakes

64
Q

The forces that move _____ also push and pull rocks along breaks in the lithosphere

A

tectonic plates

65
Q

Most earthquakes occur along active ____. These areas are generally in the middle of oceans or along the edges of ______.

A

plate boundaries

continents

66
Q

Deep earthquakes occur along _____ plate boundaries, where a denser oceanic plate subducts into the mantle

A

convergent

67
Q

Shallow earthquakes are common along _______ boundaries, where plates seperate

A

divergent

68
Q

Earthquakes of varying depths occur where continents _____.

A

collide

69
Q

Pressure applied to a rock can change the shape of the rock in a process called ______. This can eventually ______ the rock

A

rock deformation

70
Q

A(n) ______ is a break in Earth’s lithosphere where one block of rock moves toward, away from, or past another block

A

fault

71
Q

The three main kind of faults are ______, ______, and _______

A

strike-slip
normal
reverse faults

72
Q

When rocks move in any direction along a fault, they release energy in Earth’s crust in _______

A

seismic waves

73
Q

Seismic waves originate along the _____ where rocks first begin to move. This location inside Earth is the _______ of the earthquake

A

fault

focus

74
Q

The _____ of an earthquake is the location on Earth’s surface directly above the focus

A

epicenter

75
Q

The energy released during an earthquake is strongest near the ______

A

epicenter

76
Q

An earthquake’s energy travel in three kinds of _____

A

seismic waves

77
Q

_____(_____) cause particles in the ground to move in a push-pull motion similar to a coiled spring.

A

primary wave (P-waves)

78
Q

_____ (_____) move rock particles side to side and up and down at right angles to the direction that the wave travels

A

Secondary waves (S-waves)

79
Q

______ move the ground up and down and side to side in a rolling motion like an ocean wave.

A

Surface waves

80
Q

Scientists who study earthquakes are called _______

A

seismologists

81
Q

Seismic waves travel at different _______ and in different ______, depending on the materials they travel through.

A

speed

directions

82
Q

S-waves cannot travel through liquids, including Earth’s ______

A

outer core

83
Q

Seismic waves _______ as they travel through hot material. From this information, scientists model convection currents in Earth’s ______

A

change speed

mantle

84
Q

A(n) ______ measures and records how much the ground moves and can be used to determine the distance seismic waves travel.

A

seismometer

85
Q

A(n) _____ is a graphical illustration of seismic waves.

A

seismogram

86
Q

The ______ uses the amount of motion at a given distance from an earthquake to determine the magnitude of the earthquake

A

Richter Scale

87
Q

The _____ measures the amount of energy released by an earthquake

A

Moment Magnitude Scale

88
Q

The ________ measures earthquake intensity based on descriptions of the earthquake’s effects on people and structures.

A

Modified Mercalli Scale

89
Q

In the United States, most earthquakes occur near transform faults and _____

A

convergent plate boundaries

90
Q

Seismologists assess ______ based on past earthquake activity, the geology around a fault, population density, and building design

A

risk

91
Q

What do scientists use to find the epicenter?

A

triangulation

Science Semester 2 (5 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions