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Earth Science > Earthquakes & Volcanos > Flashcards

Earthquakes & Volcanos Flashcards

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1
Q

Anything related to earthquakes.

A

Seismic

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2
Q

The study of earthquakes.

A

Seismology

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3
Q

Explain what makes an earthquake.

A

Convection currents move plates past each other, but they can get stuck. This builds up pressure until the stress breaks the plates apart. This results in a sudden movement of the plate that we experience as an earthquake.

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4
Q

The location where an earthquake starts underground.

A

Focus

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5
Q

The location on the surface of the Earth directly above where the earthquake started.

A

Epicenter

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6
Q

A crack in the Earth’s crust where blocks of land move, causing earthquakes.

A

Fault

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7
Q

The type of fault where blocks of land slide past each other horizontally.

A

Strike-Slip Fault

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8
Q

The types of faults where blocks of land slide past each other vertically.

A

Normal Fault and Reverse Fault

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9
Q

The type of vertical fault where the upper block of land drops downward.

A

Normal Fault

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10
Q

The type of vertical fault where the upper block of land rises upward.

A

Reverse Fault

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11
Q

The San Andreas is an example of this kind of fault.

A

Strike-Slip Fault

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12
Q

The Tahoe Basin and the mountains around it were formed by this kind of fault.

A

Normal Fault

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13
Q

The proper term for a squeezing force.

A

Compression

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14
Q

The proper term for a stretching force.

A

Extension

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15
Q

The type of fault created by the force of compression.

A

Reverse Fault

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16
Q

The type of fault created by a shearing force.

A

Strike-Slip Fault

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17
Q

The type of fault created by the force of extension.

A

Normal Fault

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18
Q

The proper name for earthquake waves.

A

Seismic Waves

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19
Q

The device that measures seismic waves.

A

Seismometer

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20
Q

The recording of seismic waves, either on paper or digitally.

A

Seismograph

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21
Q

The abbreviations for the three types of waves.

A

P-Waves, S-Waves, and L-Waves

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22
Q

The full name for a P-Wave.

A

Primary Wave

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23
Q

The full name for an S-Wave.

A

Secondary Wave

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24
Q

The full name for an L-Wave.

A

Land Wave (actually, it’s a Love Wave!)

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25
Q

The fastest earthquake wave.

A

P-Wave

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26
Q

The mid-speed earthquake wave.

A

S-Wave

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27
Q

The slowest earthquake wave.

A

L-Wave

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28
Q

The type of earthquake wave that moves with a back-and-forth motion.

A

P-Wave

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29
Q

The type of earthquake wave that moves with a side-to-side motion.

A

S-Wave

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30
Q

The type of earthquake wave that moves with an up-and-down motion.

A

L-Wave

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31
Q

The most damaging kind of earthquake wave.

A

L-Wave

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32
Q

What have earthquake waves taught us about the inside of the Earth?

A

The waves have shown us that the Earth has several layers, and that some are solid and others are liquid.

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33
Q

How did earthquake waves show us that some of Earth’s layers are solid, and others are liquid?

A

P-Waves can move through solids and liquids, but S-Waves can only move through solids. Since S-Waves disappear as they move through the Earth, there must be liquid layers inside.

34
Q

How do we measure the strength of an Earthquake?

A

With a magnitude scale.

35
Q

Which magnitude scale is the most well-known?

A

The Richter Scale

36
Q

Which magnitude scale is preferred by scientists?

A

The Moment-Magnitude Scale

37
Q

Which magnitude scale measures the amount of damage done by an earthquake?

A

The Mercalli Intensity Scale

38
Q

What is the maximum number on the Richter Scale?

A

10

39
Q

What is the maximum number on the Moment-Magnitude Scale?

A

It is unlimited!

40
Q

The smallest earthquake that would be felt by many people would have a value of about….

A

3 or 4

41
Q

The biggest earthquake ever recorded had a value about… and it happened in….

A

9.5 in Chile

42
Q

How many times stronger is an earthquake with a magnitude of 6 compared to an earthquake with a magnitude of 5?

A

10 times

43
Q

How many times stronger is an earthquake with a magnitude of 7 compared to an earthquake with a magnitude of 5?

A

100 times

44
Q

A huge wave caused by an earthquake.

A

Tsunami

45
Q

Which part of the Earth has the most earthquakes?

A

The Ring of Fire

46
Q

Possibly the most famous historical earthquake, it caused a fire that burned down most of a city.

A

San Francisco, 1906

47
Q

The earthquake that caused a tsunami, which then damaged a nuclear power plant - the area is still dangerously radioactive.

A

Fukushima, 2011

48
Q

The process used to find the location of an earthquake.

A

Triangulation

49
Q

How many seismometers are needed to find the location of an earthquake?

A

3

50
Q

Explain how to find the distance from a seismometer to an earthquake.

A

First, find the difference in arrival times between the P-Wave and the S-Wave. Then use the Time-Distance graph to find the distance.

51
Q

Explain how to triangulate the location of an earthquake.

A

Draw a circle around the first seismic station, with its radius equal to the distance to the earthquake. Do the same thing for two more stations, and look for where the circles overlap. This will be the epicenter of the quake.

52
Q

Name three factors that help a building withstand an earthquake.

A
  1. The building is well-designed.
  2. It is properly constructed.
  3. It is build on solid ground.
53
Q

Compare how an earthquake will likely impact a solid building and a flexible building.

A

Solid buildings are likely to break and collapse during an earthquake, while flexible buildings are more likely to remain standing.

54
Q

Describe similarities and differences between magma and lava.

A

Both are molten (liquid, melted) rock at a very high temperature, but magma is still underground and lava has reached the surface.

55
Q

Name the three major groups of rocks.

A

Sedimentary, Igneous, and Metamorphic.

56
Q

Rocks made from particles of sand, silt, clay, or gravel sticking together.

A

Sedimentary Rocks, such as sandstone, limestone, and shale.

57
Q

Rocks made from magma or lava that has cooled off and solidified.

A

Igneous Rocks, such as basalt, granite, and obsidian.

58
Q

Rocks that started as one kind of rock, but were changed by heat and pressure.

A

Metamorphic Rocks, such as gneiss, slate, and schist.

59
Q

Name the two categories of igneous rocks.

A

Intrusive and Extrusive

60
Q

Give another name for intrusive rocks.

A

Plutonic

61
Q

Give another name for extrusive rocks.

A

Volcanic

62
Q

How can you tell the difference between an intrusive and an extrusive rock?

A

Since intrusive rocks hardened slowly underground, they have visible crystals. Extrusive rocks hardened quickly above ground, so you their crystals didn’t have time to grow.

63
Q

A rock that formed when magma cooled slowly underground.

A

Intrusive Rocks (or Plutonic Rocks), such as granite.

64
Q

A rock that formed when lava cooled quickly aboveground.

A

Extrusive Rocks (or Volcanic Rocks), such as basalt or obsidian.

65
Q

A mountain formed by a blob of magma that solidified underground, but was later exposed by erosion of the rocks above it.

A

A Pluton, like Half Dome

66
Q

An entire mountain range that formed from a huge blob of magma that solidified underground, and was later exposed by erosion.

A

A Batholith, like the Sierras.

67
Q

The opening where lava exits a volcano.

A

Crater

68
Q

A giant crater

A

Caldera

69
Q

An area filled with magma that is stored underground until pressure causes it to erupt.

A

Magma Chamber

70
Q

Explain how a caldera is formed.

A

When a huge eruption occurs, the magma chamber can be completely emptied. This leads to a collapse of the mountain above it, leaving a giant crater called a caldera. Sometimes the caldera fills up with water, like Crater Lake in Oregon.

71
Q

Molten rock moving downhill.

A

Lava Flow

72
Q

A blob of lava that was blasted into the air.

A

Volcanic Bomb

73
Q

A huge cloud of ash, CO2, Sulfur, and Water Vapor blasted high into the atmosphere by a volcano.

A

Volcanic Ash Cloud

74
Q

Particles of volcanic ash falling to the ground after an eruption, which can be carried by the wind hundreds of miles from the volcano.

A

Volcanic Ashfall

75
Q

A rock made of hardened volcanic ash.

A

Tephra

76
Q

Melted snow and ice mixing with dirt and rock and flowing down the sides of a volcano.

A

Volcanic mudflow, also known as a lahar.

77
Q

Extremely hot cloud of material flowing down the sides of a volcano at high speed.

A

Pyroclastic Flow

78
Q

The tunnel through a volcano that magma follows to escape from underground.

A

Vent

79
Q

Lava that cuts across other layers of rock.

A

Dike (like a small dam)

80
Q

Lava that follows the other layers of rock.

A

Sill (like a window sill)

81
Q

A crater on the side of a volcano.

A

Side vent, or parasitic cone

Earth Science (6 decks)

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