41 questions
The land between two normal faults moves upward to form a
fold
syncline
hanging wall
fault block mountain
A large area of flat land elevated high above sea level is called a
syncline
canyon
plateau
fault
An earthquake that occurs shortly after a larger earthquake is a(an) ____________________.
aftershock
new shock
old quake
new quake
The point beneath Earth’s surface where rock breaks under stress and triggers an earthquake is called the
syncline
epicenter
footwall
focus
Earthquake waves that vibrate from side to side and up and down only through solids are known as _________________ waves.
Primary
P
S
focus
In what direction do seismic waves carry the energy of an earthquake?
away from the focus
from the surface to the interior
toward the focus
through the mantle only
Which scale would most likely be used to tell how much earthquake damage was done to homes and other buildings?
the Richter scale
the moment magnitude scale
the Mercalli scale
the seismic scale
The rating system that estimates the total energy released by an earthquake is called the
Richter scale
mechanical seismograph scale
moment magnitude scale
Mercalli scale
Which of the following is a limitation of the Richter scale?
It does not work well for large or distant earthquakes.
It only has 12 steps.
It does not use measurements made with a seismograph.
It only deals with the amount of damage caused by an earthquake.
If the Coast Guard warns of a giant wave of water approaching the shore as a result of a major earthquake, they are warning of
an aftershock
a tsunami
liquefaction
landslides
The seismic waves that travel along Earth’s surface and produce the most severe ground movements are called ____________________.
surface waves
tidal waves
seismic waves
tsunamis
What does a seismograph record?
the Mercalli scale rating for an earthquake
the ground movements caused by seismic waves
the temperature of the earthquake
the location of the epicenter
The scale that measures the strengths of earthquake based on seismic waves and movement along a fault is called the _________________ scale.
moment magnitude
Mercalli
Richter
seismic
To tell how far an earthquake’s epicenter is from a seismograph, scientists measure the difference between the
arrival times of the P waves and S waves.
strengths of the P waves and S waves.
speeds of the P waves and S waves.
sizes of the P waves and S waves.
If a long period of time passes between the arrival of an earthquake’s P waves and S waves, seismologists would infer that the earthquake’s
epicenter must be very close.
magnitude must be very small.
epicenter must be far away.
magnitude must be very high.
What happens to a tsunami as it approaches shallow water?
It causes liquefaction.
Its wave height decreases.
It causes large earthquakes.
Its wave height grows.
The tool used by geologists to determine the location of an earthquake’s epicenter is called a(an) ____________________.
seismogram
infocus
seismograph
protractor
The zigzag pattern of lines that records earthquake vibrations is called a(an) ____________________.
seismogram
infocus
seismograph
protractor
The type of stress that pulls on of the crust, stretching rock so that it becomes thinner in the middle is called ____________________.
compression
liquefaction
tension
shearing
A force that acts on rocks to change its shape or volume is called _______________.
compression
liquefaction
tension
stress
The stress force called ____________________ squeezes rock until it folds or breaks.
compression
liquefaction
tension
shearing
The stress force that causes a mass of rock to pull or twist in opposite directions is called ____________________.
compression
liquefaction
tension
shearing
______________________ occurs when an earthquake’s violent shaking suddenly turns loose soft soil into liquid mud.
compression
liquefaction
tension
shearing