Question 1

The types of hazards caused by ground shaking are referred to as

Accepted Answer

A) seismic hazards. 
B) secondary hazards. 
C) primary hazards. 
D) structural hazards. 
A) seismic hazards. 
B) secondary hazards. 
C) primary hazards. 
D) structural hazards.

Question 2

Which of the following pieces of evidence recently led scientists to propose that great earthquakes occur in Oregon,Washington,and British Columbia every 500 to 600 years?

Accepted Answer

A) dramatic increases in the number of small (M = 6)earthquakes 
B) geologic records of flooded,dead coastal forests 
C) groundwater records showing dramatic fluctuations in the water table 
D) seismograph records of great earthquakes that were previously underestimated 
A) dramatic increases in the number of small (M = 6)earthquakes 
B) geologic records of flooded,dead coastal forests 
C) groundwater records showing dramatic fluctuations in the water table 
D) seismograph records of great earthquakes that were previously underestimated

Question 3

In southern California,great earthquakes occur on the San Andreas approximately every ______ years.

Accepted Answer

A) 1 to 2 
B) 5 to 10 
C) 25 to 75 
D) 150 to 300 
A) 1 to 2 
B) 5 to 10 
C) 25 to 75 
D) 150 to 300

Question 4

Earthquakes that release large amounts of stored energy during short-lived creep events are termed

Accepted Answer

A) first motion earthquakes. 
B) creep quakes. 
C) silent earthquakes. 
D) compression earthquakes. 
A) first motion earthquakes. 
B) creep quakes. 
C) silent earthquakes. 
D) compression earthquakes.

Question 5

What is the minimum number of seismic detectors needed to determine fault mechanism?

Accepted Answer

A) one 
B) two 
C) four 
D) eight 
A) one 
B) two 
C) four 
D) eight

Question 6

Tsunamis can be generated by

Accepted Answer

A) undersea earthquakes. 
B) the eruption of an oceanic volcano. 
C) undersea landslides. 
D) undersea earthquakes,the eruption of an oceanic volcano,or undersea landslides. 
A) undersea earthquakes. 
B) the eruption of an oceanic volcano. 
C) undersea landslides. 
D) undersea earthquakes,the eruption of an oceanic volcano,or undersea landslides.

Question 7

Which of the following regions has the greatest seismic hazard?

Accepted Answer

A) central United States 
B) northeastern United States 
C) southeastern United States 
D) western United States 
A) central United States 
B) northeastern United States 
C) southeastern United States 
D) western United States

Question 8

A seismic observatory typically has instruments that measure ______ motion(s).

Accepted Answer

A) up-down 
B) horizontal north-south 
C) horizontal east-west 
D) up-down,horizontal north-south,and horizontal east-west 
A) up-down 
B) horizontal north-south 
C) horizontal east-west 
D) up-down,horizontal north-south,and horizontal east-west

Question 9

How do rock particles move during the passage of an S wave through the rock?

Accepted Answer

A) back and forth parallel to the direction of wave travel 
B) back and forth at right angles to the direction of wave travel 
C) in a rolling circular motion 
D) in a rolling elliptical motion 
A) back and forth parallel to the direction of wave travel 
B) back and forth at right angles to the direction of wave travel 
C) in a rolling circular motion 
D) in a rolling elliptical motion

Question 10

Determination of fault mechanism of an earthquake requires that

Accepted Answer

A) stations are close to the focus. 
B) stations are far from the focus. 
C) the fault be of a specific type. 
D) stations surround the focus. 
A) stations are close to the focus. 
B) stations are far from the focus. 
C) the fault be of a specific type. 
D) stations surround the focus.

Question 11

What is the estimated recurrence interval for a fault line that has a slip rate of 3 cm/year and slips 3 m every time it moves?

Accepted Answer

A) 5 years 
B) 10 years 
C) 100 years 
D) 1000 years 
A) 5 years 
B) 10 years 
C) 100 years 
D) 1000 years

Question 12

Energy waves that are released during an earthquake are called

Accepted Answer

A) shock waves. 
B) elastic waves. 
C) stress waves. 
D) seismic waves. 
A) shock waves. 
B) elastic waves. 
C) stress waves. 
D) seismic waves.

Question 13

A telescope is to the astronomer what a(n)______ is to a seismologist.

Accepted Answer

A) earthquake 
B) seismograph 
C) seismic wave 
D) Richter scale 
A) earthquake 
B) seismograph 
C) seismic wave 
D) Richter scale

Question 14

The moment magnitude of an earthquake is proportional to

Accepted Answer

A) the area of the fault break. 
B) the seismic energy released during the rupture. 
C) the area of the fault break and the seismic energy released during the rupture. 
D) neither the area of the fault break nor the seismic energy released during the rupture. 
A) the area of the fault break. 
B) the seismic energy released during the rupture. 
C) the area of the fault break and the seismic energy released during the rupture. 
D) neither the area of the fault break nor the seismic energy released during the rupture.

Question 15

What type of fault is the San Andreas fault in California?

Accepted Answer

A) a normal fault 
B) a left-lateral strike-slip fault 
C) a reverse fault 
D) a right-lateral strike-slip fault 
A) a normal fault 
B) a left-lateral strike-slip fault 
C) a reverse fault 
D) a right-lateral strike-slip fault

Question 16

Which of the following statements about earthquakes is true?

Accepted Answer

A) Earthquakes can be caused by normal,reverse,and strike-slip faulting. 
B) Most earthquakes occur in intraplate settings. 
C) S waves travel faster than both P waves and surface waves. 
D) The time and location of most major earthquakes can be predicted several days in advance. 
A) Earthquakes can be caused by normal,reverse,and strike-slip faulting. 
B) Most earthquakes occur in intraplate settings. 
C) S waves travel faster than both P waves and surface waves. 
D) The time and location of most major earthquakes can be predicted several days in advance.

Question 17

The size of an earthquake can be related to fault

Accepted Answer

A) type. 
B) rupture area. 
C) length. 
D) width. 
A) type. 
B) rupture area. 
C) length. 
D) width.

Question 18

The ideal seismograph would have to be located

Accepted Answer

A) deep underground. 
B) under water. 
C) on a mountain top. 
D) in space. 
A) deep underground. 
B) under water. 
C) on a mountain top. 
D) in space.

Question 19

The ground motion during a Richter magnitude 8 earthquake is ______ times greater than the ground motion during a Richter magnitude 6 earthquake.

Accepted Answer

A) 2 
B) 10 
C) 100 
D) 1000 
A) 2 
B) 10 
C) 100 
D) 1000

Question 20

Who developed the procedure used to measure the size of an earthquake?

Accepted Answer

A) Henri Darcy 
B) Charles Darwin 
C) James Hutton 
D) Charles Richter 
A) Henri Darcy 
B) Charles Darwin 
C) James Hutton 
D) Charles Richter

Exam 13: Earthquakes

The types of hazards caused by ground shaking are referred to as

Which of the following pieces of evidence recently led scientists to propose that great earthquakes occur in Oregon,Washington,and British Columbia every 500 to 600 years?

In southern California,great earthquakes occur on the San Andreas approximately every ______ years.

Earthquakes that release large amounts of stored energy during short-lived creep events are termed

What is the minimum number of seismic detectors needed to determine fault mechanism?

Tsunamis can be generated by

Which of the following regions has the greatest seismic hazard?

A seismic observatory typically has instruments that measure ______ motion(s).

How do rock particles move during the passage of an S wave through the rock?

Determination of fault mechanism of an earthquake requires that

What is the estimated recurrence interval for a fault line that has a slip rate of 3 cm/year and slips 3 m every time it moves?

Energy waves that are released during an earthquake are called

A telescope is to the astronomer what a(n)______ is to a seismologist.

The moment magnitude of an earthquake is proportional to

What type of fault is the San Andreas fault in California?

Which of the following statements about earthquakes is true?

The size of an earthquake can be related to fault

The ideal seismograph would have to be located

The ground motion during a Richter magnitude 8 earthquake is ______ times greater than the ground motion during a Richter magnitude 6 earthquake.

Who developed the procedure used to measure the size of an earthquake?

The Earth System

Plate Tectonics: The Unifying Theory

Earth Materials: Minerals and Rocks

Igneous Rocks: Solids From Melts

Sedimentation: Rocks Formed by Surface Processes

Metamorphism: Alteration of Rocks by Temperature and Pressure

Deformation: Modification of Rocks by Folding and Fracturing

Clocks in Rocks: Timing the Geologic Period

Early History of the Terrestrial Planets

History of the Continents

Geobiology: Life Interacts With Earth

Volcanoes

Exploring Earths Interior

The Climate System

Weathering,erosion,and Mass Wasting: Interactions Between the Climate and Plate Tectonic Systems

The Hydrologic Cycle and Groundwater

Stream Transport: From Mountains to Oceans

Winds and Deserts

Coastlines and Ocean Basins

Glaciers: the Work of Ice

Landscapes: Tectonic and Climate Interaction

The Human Impact of Earths Environment

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