Question 1

Aftershocks following a major earthquake ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  may continue for days after the initial earthquake 
B)  are mostly much smaller than the original earthquake 
C)  may occur on the same fault as the original earthquake, or a different fault 
D)  All of the above are correct. 
A)  may continue for days after the initial earthquake 
B)  are mostly much smaller than the original earthquake 
C)  may occur on the same fault as the original earthquake, or a different fault 
D)  All of the above are correct. D

Question 2

Sandy substrate is susceptible to ____________ during an earthquake.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 3

A primary force opposing motion on all faults is ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  magnetic attraction among iron-rich minerals 
B)  gravity 
C)  friction 
D)  van der Waals force 
A)  magnetic attraction among iron-rich minerals 
B)  gravity 
C)  friction 
D)  van der Waals force C

Question 4

Which of these areas of the United States would you expect to have the highest occurrence of seismic activity?

Accepted Answer

A)  Southeast 
B)  West 
C)  Northeast 
D)  Central 
A)  Southeast 
B)  West 
C)  Northeast 
D)  Central

Question 5

A coiled spring would be useful in illustrating a ____________ wave.

Accepted Answer

A)  surface 
B)  body 
C)  shear 
D)  compressional 
A)  surface 
B)  body 
C)  shear 
D)  compressional

Question 6

What geological setting(s)would you expect to produce seismic activity?

Accepted Answer

A)  rift valley 
B)  basin 
C)  collisional mountain belt 
D)  All of the above are correct. 
A)  rift valley 
B)  basin 
C)  collisional mountain belt 
D)  All of the above are correct.

Question 7

How can damage and injury be minimized in areas prone to seismic activity?

Accepted Answer

A)  earthquake zoning 
B)  engineering controls 
C)  warning systems 
D)  All of the above are correct. 
A)  earthquake zoning 
B)  engineering controls 
C)  warning systems 
D)  All of the above are correct.

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

An earthquake occurs with an epicenter in the town of New Madrid,Missouri,in the interior of the North American Plate.Where might the hypocenter of this earthquake plausibly be found?

Accepted Answer

A)  in New Madrid ("hypocenter" and "epicenter" mean precisely the same thing) 
B)  10 km south of New Madrid 
C)  20 km beneath New Madrid 
D)  200 km beneath New Madrid 
A)  in New Madrid ("hypocenter" and "epicenter" mean precisely the same thing) 
B)  10 km south of New Madrid 
C)  20 km beneath New Madrid 
D)  200 km beneath New Madrid

Question 10

Short-term predictions of earthquake behavior ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  have saved millions of lives in the past decade alone 
B)  have been largely unreliable 
C)  are primarily based on the behavior patterns of farm animals 
D)  are correct approximately 50% of the time 
A)  have saved millions of lives in the past decade alone 
B)  have been largely unreliable 
C)  are primarily based on the behavior patterns of farm animals 
D)  are correct approximately 50% of the time

Question 11

The point within Earth where an earthquake takes place is termed the ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  hypocenter (focus) 
B)  epicenter 
C)  eye of the fault 
D)  vertex 
A)  hypocenter (focus) 
B)  epicenter 
C)  eye of the fault 
D)  vertex

Question 12

The key to finding the location of an earthquake's epicenter is measuring the ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  difference between the time that the P-wave arrives and the time that the S-wave arrives at the seismometer station 
B)  total time it takes for the P-wave and then the S-wave to arrive at the seismometer station 
C)  difference between the time the S-wave has reached one seismometer station and the time the S-wave has reached another station 
D)  difference between the time the P-wave has reached one seismometer station and the time the P-wave has reached another station 
A)  difference between the time that the P-wave arrives and the time that the S-wave arrives at the seismometer station 
B)  total time it takes for the P-wave and then the S-wave to arrive at the seismometer station 
C)  difference between the time the S-wave has reached one seismometer station and the time the S-wave has reached another station 
D)  difference between the time the P-wave has reached one seismometer station and the time the P-wave has reached another station

Question 13

Long-term prediction of earthquake behavior ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  is based on past earthquake activity 
B)  works on the principle that zones of past seismicity will be active in the future 
C)  includes the notion of seismic gaps-places where an earthquake is "overdue" 
D)  All of the above are correct. 
A)  is based on past earthquake activity 
B)  works on the principle that zones of past seismicity will be active in the future 
C)  includes the notion of seismic gaps-places where an earthquake is "overdue" 
D)  All of the above are correct.

Question 14

Seismic retrofitting is the process of __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  predicting earthquakes 
B)  strengthening existing buildings and structures 
C)  mapping areas prone to earthquakes 
D)  releasing energy 
A)  predicting earthquakes 
B)  strengthening existing buildings and structures 
C)  mapping areas prone to earthquakes 
D)  releasing energy

Question 15

The quantity of offset that occurs along a fault is termed ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  fault gouge 
B)  the fault gauge 
C)  displacement 
D)  accumulation 
A)  fault gouge 
B)  the fault gauge 
C)  displacement 
D)  accumulation

Question 16

Which of the following scales was used to measure the intensity of the listed earthquakes?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mercalli 
B)  Seismic-moment 
C)  Richter 
D)  None of the above are correct. 
A)  Mercalli 
B)  Seismic-moment 
C)  Richter 
D)  None of the above are correct.

Question 17

Of the following,which causes the most earthquakes?

Accepted Answer

A)  the sudden formation of a new fault 
B)  a sudden slip on an existing fault 
C)  the explosion of a volcano 
D)  a giant landslide 
A)  the sudden formation of a new fault 
B)  a sudden slip on an existing fault 
C)  the explosion of a volcano 
D)  a giant landslide

Question 18

The stress that builds on a preexisting fault that has previously ruptured _____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  is great enough to cause new fractures 
B)  must overcome the force of friction to cause an earthquake 
C)  is analogous to a broken stick 
D)  is nonexistent 
A)  is great enough to cause new fractures 
B)  must overcome the force of friction to cause an earthquake 
C)  is analogous to a broken stick 
D)  is nonexistent

Question 19

Generally,which type of earthquake waves travel fastest?

Accepted Answer

A)  interior waves 
B)  R-waves 
C)  surface waves 
D)  body waves 
A)  interior waves 
B)  R-waves 
C)  surface waves 
D)  body waves

Question 20

Geologists who specifically study earthquakes are called ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  seismologists 
B)  paleontologists 
C)  vulcanologists 
D)  speleologists 
A)  seismologists 
B)  paleontologists 
C)  vulcanologists 
D)  speleologists

Exam 8: A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Aftershocks following a major earthquake ____________.

Sandy substrate is susceptible to ____________ during an earthquake.

A primary force opposing motion on all faults is ____________.

Which of these areas of the United States would you expect to have the highest occurrence of seismic activity?

A coiled spring would be useful in illustrating a ____________ wave.

What geological setting(s)would you expect to produce seismic activity?

How can damage and injury be minimized in areas prone to seismic activity?

Body waves include ____________.

An earthquake occurs with an epicenter in the town of New Madrid,Missouri,in the interior of the North American Plate.Where might the hypocenter of this earthquake plausibly be found?

Short-term predictions of earthquake behavior ____________.

The point within Earth where an earthquake takes place is termed the ____________.

The key to finding the location of an earthquake's epicenter is measuring the ____________.

Long-term prediction of earthquake behavior ____________.

Seismic retrofitting is the process of __________.

The quantity of offset that occurs along a fault is termed ____________.

Which of the following scales was used to measure the intensity of the listed earthquakes?

Of the following,which causes the most earthquakes?

The stress that builds on a preexisting fault that has previously ruptured _____________.

Generally,which type of earthquake waves travel fastest?

Geologists who specifically study earthquakes are called ____________.

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

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

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Streams and Floods: the Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Rock Groups

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

The Rock Cycle

The Earths Interior Revisited: Insights From Geophysics

Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

An Introduction to Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

Filters