Question 1

A primary force opposing motion on all faults is

Accepted Answer

A) covalent bonds. 
B) gravity. 
C) friction. 
D) the Van der Waals force. 
A) covalent bonds. 
B) gravity. 
C) friction. 
D) the Van der Waals force.

Question 2

The Mercalli intensity scale tends to be very subjective and thus is generally only used for historical earthquakes that were near people but were not recorded by seismometers. The Mercalli scale may be considered subjective because it

Accepted Answer

A) relies on testimony from people. 
B) does not take distance into account. 
C) can only be used for large earthquakes. 
D) cannot be used in heavily populated areas. 
A) relies on testimony from people. 
B) does not take distance into account. 
C) can only be used for large earthquakes. 
D) cannot be used in heavily populated areas.

Question 3

Moderate- and deep-focus earthquakes occur along ONLY

Accepted Answer

A) convergent-plate boundaries. 
B) divergent-plate boundaries. 
C) transform-plate boundaries. 
D) hotspots. 
A) convergent-plate boundaries. 
B) divergent-plate boundaries. 
C) transform-plate boundaries. 
D) hotspots.

Question 4

An increase in size of one unit of magnitude translates to ___________ times the ground motion.

Accepted Answer

A) 1 
B) 2 
C) 32 
D) 10 
A) 1 
B) 2 
C) 32 
D) 10

Question 5

On December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.3 earthquake generated a tsunami that devastated coastlines on the ___________ Ocean.

Accepted Answer

A) Atlantic 
B) Arctic 
C) Indian 
D) Pacific 
A) Atlantic 
B) Arctic 
C) Indian 
D) Pacific

Question 6

Making better ___________ is the best way to try to prevent earthquake damage.

Accepted Answer

A) seismometers 
B) magnitude scales 
C) buildings 
D) seismograms 
A) seismometers 
B) magnitude scales 
C) buildings 
D) seismograms

Question 7

What kind of waves travel with a compressional motion?

Accepted Answer

A) Love waves 
B) Rayleigh waves 
C) P-waves 
D) S-waves 
A) Love waves 
B) Rayleigh waves 
C) P-waves 
D) S-waves

Question 8

Body waves include

Accepted Answer

A) both S- and P-waves. 
B) both L- and R-waves. 
C) both surface and interior waves. 
D) P-waves only. 
A) both S- and P-waves. 
B) both L- and R-waves. 
C) both surface and interior waves. 
D) P-waves only.

Question 9

Wet and unconsolidated substrates are uniquely susceptible to ___________ during an earthquake.

Accepted Answer

A)  displacement 
B)  collapse 
C) liquefaction 
D) faulting 
A)  displacement 
B)  collapse 
C) liquefaction 
D) faulting

Question 10

At a minimum, how many seismic stations are necessary to locate the epicenter of an

Accepted Answer

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

Question 11

Much of the capitol city of Port-au-Prince was destroyed during the 2010 Haiti earthquake even though similarly sized earthquakes in other cities did very little damage. What caused so much damage during the Haiti earthquake?

Accepted Answer

A)  A tsunami wiped out the city. 
B)  Landslides covered large areas. 
C) The buildings were poorly built. 
D) The residents did not evacuate in time. 
A)  A tsunami wiped out the city. 
B)  Landslides covered large areas. 
C) The buildings were poorly built. 
D) The residents did not evacuate in time.

Question 12

Earthquakes that occur in a band called the ___________ can be used to track the motion of subducted oceanic lithosphere.

Accepted Answer

A) Wegener belt 
B) seismic gap 
C) Wadati-Benioff zone 
D) Richter zone 
A) Wegener belt 
B) seismic gap 
C) Wadati-Benioff zone 
D) Richter zone

Question 13

During an earthquake, if the hanging wall slides upward relative to the footwall and if the fault is steep (closer to vertical than horizontal), then the fault is termed a ___________ fault. Refer to the following figure for an example of such a feature.

Accepted Answer

A) normal 
B) reverse 
C) strike-slip 
D) thrust 
A) normal 
B) reverse 
C) strike-slip 
D) thrust

Question 14

Earthquake ___________ is a means of deciding where the ground is stable enough to build on in earthquake-prone areas.

Accepted Answer

A) mitigation 
B) zoning 
C) retrofitting 
D) prevention 
A) mitigation 
B) zoning 
C) retrofitting 
D) prevention

Question 15

If a fault is nearly vertical in orientation and the two walls of rock on opposite sides slide past one another horizontally, the fault is termed a ___________ fault. Refer to the following figure for an example of such a feature.

Accepted Answer

A) normal 
B) reverse 
C) strike-slip 
D) thrust 
A) normal 
B) reverse 
C) strike-slip 
D) thrust

Question 16

According to the image below, where was the epicenter of the earthquake?

Accepted Answer

A) New York 
B) Florida 
C) Kansas 
D) Canada 
A) New York 
B) Florida 
C) Kansas 
D) Canada

Question 17

Which tectonic setting has the potential to create the largest earthquakes on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) shallow thrust faults associated with a convergent boundary 
B) deep focus faults associated with a convergent boundary 
C) thrust faults associated with a transform boundary 
D) ridge segment transform boundaries associated with divergent boundaries 
A) shallow thrust faults associated with a convergent boundary 
B) deep focus faults associated with a convergent boundary 
C) thrust faults associated with a transform boundary 
D) ridge segment transform boundaries associated with divergent boundaries

Question 18

Surface waves

Accepted Answer

A) travel more rapidly than body waves. 
B) produce most of the damage to buildings during earthquakes. 
C) are the first waves initially produced in an earthquake. 
D) are the first waves to arrive at a seismograph station after an earthquake. 
A) travel more rapidly than body waves. 
B) produce most of the damage to buildings during earthquakes. 
C) are the first waves initially produced in an earthquake. 
D) are the first waves to arrive at a seismograph station after an earthquake.

Question 19

What is the Moho? How was it discovered?

Accepted Answer

The Moho is the boundary between the cru

Question 20

Generally, which type of earthquake waves travel with the slowest velocity?

Accepted Answer

A) S-waves 
B) P-waves 
C) surface waves 
D) All earthquake waves travel at the same speed. 
A) S-waves 
B) P-waves 
C) surface waves 
D) All earthquake waves travel at the same speed.

Exam 8: A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

A primary force opposing motion on all faults is

The Mercalli intensity scale tends to be very subjective and thus is generally only used for historical earthquakes that were near people but were not recorded by seismometers. The Mercalli scale may be considered subjective because it

Moderate- and deep-focus earthquakes occur along ONLY

An increase in size of one unit of magnitude translates to ___________ times the ground motion.

On December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.3 earthquake generated a tsunami that devastated coastlines on the ___________ Ocean.

Making better ___________ is the best way to try to prevent earthquake damage.

What kind of waves travel with a compressional motion?

Body waves include

Wet and unconsolidated substrates are uniquely susceptible to ___________ during an earthquake.

At a minimum, how many seismic stations are necessary to locate the epicenter of an

Much of the capitol city of Port-au-Prince was destroyed during the 2010 Haiti earthquake even though similarly sized earthquakes in other cities did very little damage. What caused so much damage during the Haiti earthquake?

Earthquakes that occur in a band called the ___________ can be used to track the motion of subducted oceanic lithosphere.

During an earthquake, if the hanging wall slides upward relative to the footwall and if the fault is steep (closer to vertical than horizontal), then the fault is termed a ___________ fault. Refer to the following figure for an example of such a feature.

Earthquake ___________ is a means of deciding where the ground is stable enough to build on in earthquake-prone areas.

If a fault is nearly vertical in orientation and the two walls of rock on opposite sides slide past one another horizontally, the fault is termed a ___________ fault. Refer to the following figure for an example of such a feature.

According to the image below, where was the epicenter of the earthquake?

Which tectonic setting has the potential to create the largest earthquakes on Earth?

Surface waves

What is the Moho? How was it discovered?

Generally, which type of earthquake waves travel with the slowest velocity?

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks

A Process of Change: Metamorphism and the Rock Cycle

Crags, Cracks, and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Shaping the Earths Surface: Landscapes, the Hydrologic Cycle, and Mass Wasting

Freshwater: Streams, Lakes, and Groundwater

Extreme Realms: Desert and Glacial Landscapes

Ocean Waters: the Blue of the Blue Marble

Marine Geology: the Study of Ocean Basins and Coasts

The Air We Breathe: Introducing Earths Atmosphere

Winds of the World: the Earths Major Weather Systems

Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, and Local Weather Systems

Climate and Climate Change

Our Solar System and Beyond

Our Neighborhood in Space

The Sun, Stars, and Deep Space

Prelude: Welcome to Earth Science

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