Question 1

Which state accounts for the greatest percentage of all U.S.earthquakes of magnitude 3.5 and above?

Accepted Answer

A) California 
B) Hawaii 
C) Alaska 
D) Washington 
E) Nevada 
A) California 
B) Hawaii 
C) Alaska 
D) Washington 
E) Nevada

Question 2

Pumping fluids into the Earth has been found to sometimes trigger small earthquakes (magnitudes < 5).

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

In San Francisco's Marina district in 1989,some fill underwent permanent deformation and settling,and some formed slurries as underground water and loose sediment flowed like a fluid in a process known as ______________.

Accepted Answer

A) solifluction 
B) creep 
C) liquefaction 
D) plasticity 
E) asthenocity 
A) solifluction 
B) creep 
C) liquefaction 
D) plasticity 
E) asthenocity

Question 4

The 17 January 1994 Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles was generated on a _______ thrust fault.

Accepted Answer

A) slow 
B) elliptical 
C) upside down 
D) trap-door 
E) blind 
A) slow 
B) elliptical 
C) upside down 
D) trap-door 
E) blind

Question 5

The Charleston,South Carolina,earthquake of 1886 occurred along a seismic belt that may be related to _________________.

Accepted Answer

A) tectonic stresses transmitted across the North American continent from California 
B) an ancient subduction zone beneath the Appalachian Mountains 
C) an adjacent oceanic fracture zone on the Atlantic seafloor 
D) canal building prior to the Civil War 
E) remnants of the African plate attached to North America 
A) tectonic stresses transmitted across the North American continent from California 
B) an ancient subduction zone beneath the Appalachian Mountains 
C) an adjacent oceanic fracture zone on the Atlantic seafloor 
D) canal building prior to the Civil War 
E) remnants of the African plate attached to North America

Question 6

When is the best time for an earthquake to occur in California to minimize loss of life?

Accepted Answer

A) during rush hour when people are not in buildings 
B) during the night,when most people are home and asleep 
C) in the middle of the day when people are in school or working 
D) it does not matter what time of day it occurs 
A) during rush hour when people are not in buildings 
B) during the night,when most people are home and asleep 
C) in the middle of the day when people are in school or working 
D) it does not matter what time of day it occurs

Question 7

As much as 20 percent of the relative motion between the Pacific and North American plates may be accommodated by the extensional stretching of the Basin and Range province,leaving numerous north-south-oriented mountain ranges separated by down-dropped,sediment-filled basins.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

The 1994 Northridge event was similar to the 1971 San Fernando earthquake in magnitude,number of people killed,and type of faulting.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Most of the 131 fatalities from the Good Friday earthquake in Alaska in 1964 were due to fire caused by rupturing of gas lines.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

The crustal thickness in the Great Basin is ____________________.

Accepted Answer

A) thicker than Mid-continental North American crust 
B) thinner than Mid-continental North American crust 
C) thinner than oceanic crust and thinner than Mid-continental North American crust are correct 
D) thicker than oceanic crust and thinner than Mid-continental North American crust are correct 
E) thicker than oceanic crust and thicker than Mid-continental North American crust are correct 
A) thicker than Mid-continental North American crust 
B) thinner than Mid-continental North American crust 
C) thinner than oceanic crust and thinner than Mid-continental North American crust are correct 
D) thicker than oceanic crust and thinner than Mid-continental North American crust are correct 
E) thicker than oceanic crust and thicker than Mid-continental North American crust are correct

Question 11

In the last 6000 years,a magnitude 6.5 or stronger earthquake has occurred about once every 350 years on one of the Wasatch system faults,but no large earthquakes have been reported along the Wasatch Front faults since the arrival of Brigham Young in 1847.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

The largest earthquakes along western North America are due to subduction beneath the continent.They include ________________.

Accepted Answer

A) the magnitude 9.2 Alaska earthquake in 1964 which was due to subduction of the Pacific plate 
B) the magnitude 8.1 Mexico City event in 1985 which was caused by subduction of the Cocos plate 
C) the plates subducting beneath Oregon and Washington which generated a magnitude 9 earthquake on 26 January 1700 
D) All of these are correct. 
A) the magnitude 9.2 Alaska earthquake in 1964 which was due to subduction of the Pacific plate 
B) the magnitude 8.1 Mexico City event in 1985 which was caused by subduction of the Cocos plate 
C) the plates subducting beneath Oregon and Washington which generated a magnitude 9 earthquake on 26 January 1700 
D) All of these are correct.

Question 13

The state (other than Alaska)most likely to have a magnitude 9 or larger earthquake in the next several hundred years is ______________.

Accepted Answer

A) California 
B) Washington 
C) Missouri 
D) Nevada 
E) South Carolina 
A) California 
B) Washington 
C) Missouri 
D) Nevada 
E) South Carolina

Question 14

The subducting Juan de Fuca plate is only 10- to 15-million-years old and is warm and buoyant enough to couple with the North American plate as shown by strike-slip faults on the Juan de Fuca plate that also cut the overriding North American plate.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Which state accounts for the greatest percentage of all U.S.earthquakes of magnitude 3.5 and above?

Pumping fluids into the Earth has been found to sometimes trigger small earthquakes (magnitudes < 5).

In San Francisco's Marina district in 1989,some fill underwent permanent deformation and settling,and some formed slurries as underground water and loose sediment flowed like a fluid in a process known as ______________.

The 17 January 1994 Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles was generated on a _______ thrust fault.

The Charleston,South Carolina,earthquake of 1886 occurred along a seismic belt that may be related to _________________.

When is the best time for an earthquake to occur in California to minimize loss of life?

As much as 20 percent of the relative motion between the Pacific and North American plates may be accommodated by the extensional stretching of the Basin and Range province,leaving numerous north-south-oriented mountain ranges separated by down-dropped,sediment-filled basins.

The 1994 Northridge event was similar to the 1971 San Fernando earthquake in magnitude,number of people killed,and type of faulting.

Most of the 131 fatalities from the Good Friday earthquake in Alaska in 1964 were due to fire caused by rupturing of gas lines.

The crustal thickness in the Great Basin is ____________________.

In the last 6000 years,a magnitude 6.5 or stronger earthquake has occurred about once every 350 years on one of the Wasatch system faults,but no large earthquakes have been reported along the Wasatch Front faults since the arrival of Brigham Young in 1847.

The largest earthquakes along western North America are due to subduction beneath the continent.They include ________________.

The state (other than Alaska)most likely to have a magnitude 9 or larger earthquake in the next several hundred years is ______________.

The subducting Juan de Fuca plate is only 10- to 15-million-years old and is warm and buoyant enough to couple with the North American plate as shown by strike-slip faults on the Juan de Fuca plate that also cut the overriding North American plate.

Natural Disasters and the Human Population

Internal Energy and Plate Tectonics

Earthquake Geology and Seismology

Plate Tectonics and Earthquakes

Volcanic Eruptions: Plate Tectonics and Magmas

Volcano Processes and Deadly Events

Tsunami Versus Wind-Caused Waves

External Energy Fuels Weather and Climate

Tornadoes, Lightning, Heat, and Cold

Hurricanes

Climate Change

Floods

Fire

Mass Movements

Coastal Processes and Hazards

Impacts With Space Objects

Filters

Exam 5: Earthquakes Throughout the United States and Canada

Which state accounts for the greatest percentage of all U.S.earthquakes of magnitude 3.5 and above?

Pumping fluids into the Earth has been found to sometimes trigger small earthquakes (magnitudes < 5).

In San Francisco's Marina district in 1989,some fill underwent permanent deformation and settling,and some formed slurries as underground water and loose sediment flowed like a fluid in a process known as ______________.

The 17 January 1994 Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles was generated on a _______ thrust fault.

The Charleston,South Carolina,earthquake of 1886 occurred along a seismic belt that may be related to _________________.

When is the best time for an earthquake to occur in California to minimize loss of life?

As much as 20 percent of the relative motion between the Pacific and North American plates may be accommodated by the extensional stretching of the Basin and Range province,leaving numerous north-south-oriented mountain ranges separated by down-dropped,sediment-filled basins.

The 1994 Northridge event was similar to the 1971 San Fernando earthquake in magnitude,number of people killed,and type of faulting.

Most of the 131 fatalities from the Good Friday earthquake in Alaska in 1964 were due to fire caused by rupturing of gas lines.

The crustal thickness in the Great Basin is ____________________.

In the last 6000 years,a magnitude 6.5 or stronger earthquake has occurred about once every 350 years on one of the Wasatch system faults,but no large earthquakes have been reported along the Wasatch Front faults since the arrival of Brigham Young in 1847.

The largest earthquakes along western North America are due to subduction beneath the continent.They include ________________.

The state (other than Alaska)most likely to have a magnitude 9 or larger earthquake in the next several hundred years is ______________.

The subducting Juan de Fuca plate is only 10- to 15-million-years old and is warm and buoyant enough to couple with the North American plate as shown by strike-slip faults on the Juan de Fuca plate that also cut the overriding North American plate.

Natural Disasters and the Human Population

Internal Energy and Plate Tectonics

Earthquake Geology and Seismology

Plate Tectonics and Earthquakes

Volcanic Eruptions: Plate Tectonics and Magmas

Volcano Processes and Deadly Events

Tsunami Versus Wind-Caused Waves

External Energy Fuels Weather and Climate

Tornadoes, Lightning, Heat, and Cold

Hurricanes

Climate Change

Floods

Fire

Mass Movements

Coastal Processes and Hazards

Impacts With Space Objects

Filters