Earthquakes Test

Front

What is a fault?

Back

a fracture in Earth where movement has occurred

Front

What is an earthquake's epicenter?

Back

the place on the surface directly above the focus

Front

Most earthquakes are produced by the rapid release of which kind of energy stored in rock subjected to great forces? (Options: kinetic, thermal, elastic, mechanical)

Back

elastic

Front

A seismogram shows that P waves travel

Back

faster than S waves

Front

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of S waves: they travel more slowly than P waves, they shake particles at right angles to their direction of travel, they cannot be transmitted through water or air?

Back

They temporarily change the volume of material they pass through by compression and expansion.

Front

A travel-time graph can be used to find the

Back

epicenter of an earthquake

Front

Where do most Earthquakes occur? Options: in the mountains of Africa, around the edge of the Pacific Ocean, around the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, on the western lowlands of Europe

Back

around the edge of the Pacific Ocean

Front

An Earthquake's magnitude is a measure of the 

Back

size of the seismic waves it produces

Front

What is the most widely used measurement for earthquakes? Options: seismic scale, richter scale, moment magnitude scale, epicenter scale

Back

moment magnitude scale

Front

The moment magnitude is calculated using all of the following factors EXCEPT for the surface area of a fault, average displacement along a fault, rigidity of rock in the area.

Back

magnitude of past earthquakes in the area