Exam 11: Earthquakes

Which of the following does not contribute to destruction from seismic vibrations?

Which of the following would be the most unstable during an earthquake?

An urban legend that states that all it would take is one good, strong earthquake for California to fall off into the sea.Is this true? Explain why this may or may not be the case.

Generally speaking, which seismic waves will have the greatest amplitude on a seismogram?

What is the term for stored-up energy released by earthquakes?

Most faults are locked in place, except for brief, abrupt movements when sudden slippage produces earthquakes.

What information is needed to determine the distance from the focus of an earthquake to the seismic receiving station?

Explain how a seismograph records earthquakes?

Surface waves will move equally in all directions away from the focus.

You are watching TV with a friend when there is a special bulletin about a city in California being devastated by an earthquake.The news anchor reports that the epicenter of the earthquake is 45 miles east of Los Angeles.How would you explain the definition of the epicenter to your geologically impaired friend?

Where was the earliest seismograph developed?

The Denali Pipeline in ________ was designed to withstand displacement from earthquakes in order to prevent oil spills.

How might climate change predictions of sea level in the next century affect the severity of future tsunamis?

On January 12, 2010, the country of Haiti was rocked by a violent M 7.0 earthquake.This quake caused widespread devastation and resulted in the death of over 300,000 people.A month later, an M 8.8 earthquake rocked central Chile, where over 80 percent of the country's population was concentrated.However, only 525 people were reported dead for this disaster.Why would Chile's earthquake, with a higher magnitude, have a lower death toll than Haiti's earthquake?

Earthquakes occur along preexisting faults only.

The first sign of a tsunami's approach is a rapid retreat of water from the shoreline.

Compare and contrast an earthquake's magnitude and intensity.

You are monitoring a seismograph in Seattle.One morning, your instrument records an earthquake approximately 2000 km away.From that information, can you determine where the earthquake occurred?

Which tectonic boundary is associated with megathrust faults?

When going from a 5 to a 6 on the Richter Scale, what is the increase in amplitude of seismic waves?