Question 1

Why did the Christchurch earthquake 2011) in New Zealand cause much more damage than the larger Canterbury earthquake 2010)?

Accepted Answer

A)  it was larger in magnitude and was deeper 
B)  it was closer to a large city with buildings that had been damaged by the earlier earthquake 
C)  a large landslide from the Southern Alps mountain range buried the capital city 
D)  all of these 
A)  it was larger in magnitude and was deeper 
B)  it was closer to a large city with buildings that had been damaged by the earlier earthquake 
C)  a large landslide from the Southern Alps mountain range buried the capital city 
D)  all of these

Question 2

The diagram on the right shows the record of one earthquake on seismograms at three different stations in a seismic network. These three seismograms show:

Accepted Answer

A)  ISCO station is closest to the earthquake 
B)  WUAZ station was right at the earthquake 
C)  DUG station is farthest from the earthquake 
D)  WUAZ is the closest station, followed by DUG, and then ISCO 
E)  none of these 
A)  ISCO station is closest to the earthquake 
B)  WUAZ station was right at the earthquake 
C)  DUG station is farthest from the earthquake 
D)  WUAZ is the closest station, followed by DUG, and then ISCO 
E)  none of these

Question 3

Landslides and volcanic eruptions can cause a tsunami by:

Accepted Answer

A)  causing ground shaking 
B)  causing large winds and fast-moving pyroclastic flows 
C)  causing a large mass of rock to catastrophically displace the water 
D)  forming large gas bubbles under water 
E)  heating up the water, causing it to expand 
A)  causing ground shaking 
B)  causing large winds and fast-moving pyroclastic flows 
C)  causing a large mass of rock to catastrophically displace the water 
D)  forming large gas bubbles under water 
E)  heating up the water, causing it to expand

Question 4

What feature suggests that this is a strike-slip fault rather than some other kind of fault?

Accepted Answer

A)  the presence of a fault scarp 
B)  the soft appearance of the landscape 
C)  the horizontal offset of the drainage channel 
D)  differences in vegetation across the fault 
E)  the lack of human development 
A)  the presence of a fault scarp 
B)  the soft appearance of the landscape 
C)  the horizontal offset of the drainage channel 
D)  differences in vegetation across the fault 
E)  the lack of human development

Question 5

The highest death tolls from earthquakes are generally due to:

Accepted Answer

A)  people living in areas with high risks for earthquakes 
B)  high population densities 
C)  substandard construction practices 
D)  all of these 
A)  people living in areas with high risks for earthquakes 
B)  high population densities 
C)  substandard construction practices 
D)  all of these

Question 6

On this time-travel curve, if a large earthquake is 400 km away from the station, what can you say about the arrivals of the P- and S-waves?

Accepted Answer

A)  the P-waves will arrive 40 seconds before the S-waves 
B)  the P-waves will arrive 400 seconds before the S-waves 
C)  no S-waves will arrive at this distance from the earthquake 
D)  none of these 
A)  the P-waves will arrive 40 seconds before the S-waves 
B)  the P-waves will arrive 400 seconds before the S-waves 
C)  no S-waves will arrive at this distance from the earthquake 
D)  none of these

Question 7

Earthquakes in subduction zones generally only occur at depths of:

Accepted Answer

A)  up to 700 km 
B)  greater than 700 km 
C)  700-1000 km 
A)  up to 700 km 
B)  greater than 700 km 
C)  700-1000 km

Question 8

What is one way that we determine the depth to the base of the crust?

Accepted Answer

A)  drilling very deep wells along the San Andreas fault 
B)  observing the deeper parts of underground mines 
C)  observing whether seismic waves that travel through the crust arrived after those that traveled through the mantle 
D)  using P- and S-waves to locate boundaries between molten and solid rock 
E)  none of these 
A)  drilling very deep wells along the San Andreas fault 
B)  observing the deeper parts of underground mines 
C)  observing whether seismic waves that travel through the crust arrived after those that traveled through the mantle 
D)  using P- and S-waves to locate boundaries between molten and solid rock 
E)  none of these

Question 9

How would this diagram change if the seismic station was farther from the earthquake?

Accepted Answer

A)  the P-waves would arrive later 
B)  the S-waves would arrive later 
C)  there would be a larger gap between the arrives of the P- and S-waves 
D)  all of these 
A)  the P-waves would arrive later 
B)  the S-waves would arrive later 
C)  there would be a larger gap between the arrives of the P- and S-waves 
D)  all of these

Question 10

The huge 1964 Alaskan earthquake, one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded, was caused by:

Accepted Answer

A)  rupture on a long segment of a strike-slip fault 
B)  normal faulting on an ancient fault zone in the crust 
C)  thrusting along a subduction zone megathrust) 
D)  an underwater landslide that caused a tsunami 
E)  a volcanic eruption on Augustine volcano 
A)  rupture on a long segment of a strike-slip fault 
B)  normal faulting on an ancient fault zone in the crust 
C)  thrusting along a subduction zone megathrust) 
D)  an underwater landslide that caused a tsunami 
E)  a volcanic eruption on Augustine volcano

Question 11

Which of the following can cause extensive damage well after the ground shaking associated with an earthquake stops?

Accepted Answer

A)  tsunami 
B)  fire 
C)  flooding from subsidence or failure of dams 
D)  all of these 
A)  tsunami 
B)  fire 
C)  flooding from subsidence or failure of dams 
D)  all of these

Question 12

What location on the surface would provide easily gathered information about what is below the surface, without using expensive machines?

Accepted Answer

A)  mine dump at A 
B)  mine dump at A and rocky hill at B 
C)  rocky hill at B and stream channel at C 
D)  mine dump at A and stream channel at C 
E)  none of these 
A)  mine dump at A 
B)  mine dump at A and rocky hill at B 
C)  rocky hill at B and stream channel at C 
D)  mine dump at A and stream channel at C 
E)  none of these

Question 13

Which of the following cannot cause a tsunami?

Accepted Answer

A)  faulting 
B)  an underwater landslide 
C)  a volcanic eruption 
D)  a strike-slip fault on land 
E)  all of these can cause a tsunami 
A)  faulting 
B)  an underwater landslide 
C)  a volcanic eruption 
D)  a strike-slip fault on land 
E)  all of these can cause a tsunami

Question 14

What did geologists discover from studying the aftermath of the 1964 Alaskan earthquake?

Accepted Answer

A)  some parts of the coastline were uplifted and others subsided 
B)  changes in elevation were not systematic, occurring randomly over the area 
C)  there was no good explanation for large waves that resulted from the earthquake 
D)  fissuring of the ground and ice was limited to an area very near the epicenter 
A)  some parts of the coastline were uplifted and others subsided 
B)  changes in elevation were not systematic, occurring randomly over the area 
C)  there was no good explanation for large waves that resulted from the earthquake 
D)  fissuring of the ground and ice was limited to an area very near the epicenter

Question 15

On this map of southeastern Asia and adjacent areas, which site would have earthquakes along a continental collision?

Accepted Answer

A)  1, in the Indian Ocean 
B)  2, in Tibet 
C)  3, near Japan 
D)  4, near the Tonga island arc 
A)  1, in the Indian Ocean 
B)  2, in Tibet 
C)  3, near Japan 
D)  4, near the Tonga island arc

Question 16

When a seismic wave hits an interface and some of the energy is bent as it crosses that boundary, the wave has been:

Accepted Answer

A)  refracted 
B)  reflected 
C)  defracted 
D)  deflected 
A)  refracted 
B)  reflected 
C)  defracted 
D)  deflected

Question 17

The time it takes for a complete wave to pass, is the:

Accepted Answer

A)  wave amplitude 
B)  period 
C)  wave height 
A)  wave amplitude 
B)  period 
C)  wave height

Question 18

What do the two stars near the center of this block represent?

Accepted Answer

A)  the location of the earthquake 
B)  the star at depth is the place where the earthquake is generated 
C)  the star at depth is the hypocenter 
D)  the star on the surface is the epicenter 
E)  all of these 
A)  the location of the earthquake 
B)  the star at depth is the place where the earthquake is generated 
C)  the star at depth is the hypocenter 
D)  the star on the surface is the epicenter 
E)  all of these

Question 19

On this map of southeastern Asia and adjacent areas, which site would have earthquakes along a mid-ocean ridge?

Accepted Answer

A)  1, in the Indian Ocean 
B)  2, in Tibet 
C)  3, near Japan 
D)  4, near the Tonga island arc 
A)  1, in the Indian Ocean 
B)  2, in Tibet 
C)  3, near Japan 
D)  4, near the Tonga island arc

Question 20

In what order will the seismic stations #1 and #2) detect seismic waves generated by the earthquake shown in the image?

Accepted Answer

A)  Station 1 will detect them first, followed by Station 2. 
B)  Station 2 will detect them first, followed by Station 1. 
C)  Stations 1 and 2 will detect the waves at the same time. 
D)  Only station 2 will detect waves because Station 1 is too close to the hypocenter. 
A)  Station 1 will detect them first, followed by Station 2. 
B)  Station 2 will detect them first, followed by Station 1. 
C)  Stations 1 and 2 will detect the waves at the same time. 
D)  Only station 2 will detect waves because Station 1 is too close to the hypocenter.

Why did the Christchurch earthquake 2011) in New Zealand cause much more damage than the larger Canterbury earthquake 2010)?

The diagram on the right shows the record of one earthquake on seismograms at three different stations in a seismic network. These three seismograms show:

Landslides and volcanic eruptions can cause a tsunami by:

What feature suggests that this is a strike-slip fault rather than some other kind of fault?

The highest death tolls from earthquakes are generally due to:

On this time-travel curve, if a large earthquake is 400 km away from the station, what can you say about the arrivals of the P- and S-waves?

Earthquakes in subduction zones generally only occur at depths of:

What is one way that we determine the depth to the base of the crust?

How would this diagram change if the seismic station was farther from the earthquake?

The huge 1964 Alaskan earthquake, one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded, was caused by:

Which of the following can cause extensive damage well after the ground shaking associated with an earthquake stops?

What location on the surface would provide easily gathered information about what is below the surface, without using expensive machines?

Which of the following cannot cause a tsunami?

What did geologists discover from studying the aftermath of the 1964 Alaskan earthquake?

On this map of southeastern Asia and adjacent areas, which site would have earthquakes along a continental collision?

When a seismic wave hits an interface and some of the energy is bent as it crosses that boundary, the wave has been:

The time it takes for a complete wave to pass, is the:

What do the two stars near the center of this block represent?

On this map of southeastern Asia and adjacent areas, which site would have earthquakes along a mid-ocean ridge?

In what order will the seismic stations #1 and #2) detect seismic waves generated by the earthquake shown in the image?

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Exam 12: Earthquakes and Earths Interior

Why did the Christchurch earthquake 2011) in New Zealand cause much more damage than the larger Canterbury earthquake 2010)?

The diagram on the right shows the record of one earthquake on seismograms at three different stations in a seismic network. These three seismograms show:

Landslides and volcanic eruptions can cause a tsunami by:

What feature suggests that this is a strike-slip fault rather than some other kind of fault?

The highest death tolls from earthquakes are generally due to:

On this time-travel curve, if a large earthquake is 400 km away from the station, what can you say about the arrivals of the P- and S-waves?

Earthquakes in subduction zones generally only occur at depths of:

What is one way that we determine the depth to the base of the crust?

How would this diagram change if the seismic station was farther from the earthquake?

The huge 1964 Alaskan earthquake, one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded, was caused by:

Which of the following can cause extensive damage well after the ground shaking associated with an earthquake stops?

What location on the surface would provide easily gathered information about what is below the surface, without using expensive machines?

Which of the following cannot cause a tsunami?

What did geologists discover from studying the aftermath of the 1964 Alaskan earthquake?

On this map of southeastern Asia and adjacent areas, which site would have earthquakes along a continental collision?

When a seismic wave hits an interface and some of the energy is bent as it crosses that boundary, the wave has been:

The time it takes for a complete wave to pass, is the:

What do the two stars near the center of this block represent?

On this map of southeastern Asia and adjacent areas, which site would have earthquakes along a mid-ocean ridge?

In what order will the seismic stations #1 and #2) detect seismic waves generated by the earthquake shown in the image?

The Nature of Geology

Investigating Geologic Questions

Plate Tectonics

Earth Materials

Igneous Environments

Volcanoes and Volcanic Hazards

Sedimentary Environments

Deformation and Metamorphism

Geologic Time

Seafloor and Continental Margins

Mountains, Basins, and Continents

Climate and Weathering

Glaciers, Shorelines, and Changing Sea Levels

Weathering, Soil, and Unstable Slopes

Streams and Flooding

Water Resources

Energy and Mineral Resources

Geology of the Solar System

Filters