Earthquake Frequency and Destruction

​Earthquake Frequency and Destruction

There's a 100 percent chance of an earthquake today. Though millions of persons may never experience an earthquake, they are very common occurrences on this planet. So today -- somewhere -- an earthquake will occur.

Multiple Choice

Why can we say with certainty that an earthquake will happen somewhere on Earth today?

• A) Because earthquakes only happen in certain places once a year.

• B) Because earthquakes are very rare events.

• C) Because earthquakes are common and occur every day around the world.

• D) Because scientists can predict the exact time and location of earthquakes.

Multiple Choice

What does the passage say about most potentially destructive earthquakes?

• A) They happen only once every few years.

• B) They usually occur in unpopulated areas, away from people.

• C) They are too light to be felt without instruments.

• D) They always cause property damage and injuries.

It may be so light that only sensitive instruments will perceive its motion; it may shake houses, rattle windows, and displace small objects; or it may be sufficiently strong to cause property damage, death, and injury. It is estimated that about 700 shocks each year have this capability when centered in a populated area. But fortunately, most of these potentially destructive earthquakes center in unpopulated areas far from civilization.

Since a major portion of the world's earthquakes each year center around the rim of the Pacific Ocean (Ring of Fire), referred to by seismologists as the circum-Pacific belt, this is the most probable location for today's earthquake. But it could hit any location, because no region is entirely free of earthquakes..

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Ring of Fire

Stating that an earthquake is going to occur today is not really "predicting earthquakes". To date, they cannot be predicted. But anyone, on any day, could make this statement and it would be true. This is because several million earthquakes occur annually; thereby, thousands occur each day, although most are too small to be

Multiple Choice

What is the most probable location for today's earthquake according to the text?

• Atlantic Ocean

• Circum-Pacific belt

• Indian Ocean

• Mediterranean Sea

Multiple Choice

What is the estimated number of potentially destructive earthquakes that occur each year in populated areas?

• 100

• 700

• 1000

• 500

Multiple Choice

True or False: Saying an earthquake will occur today is not the same as predicting an earthquake.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

True or False: Scientists are currently able to predict the exact time and place of strong earthquakes.

• True

• False

Multiple Select

The Ring of Fire is known for having ____________. (Select 2)

• More than one ocean.

• Many volcanoes.

• Many turtles.

• Many earthquakes.

• Many fires

Open Ended

Is saying that an earthquake will occur today the same as predicting earthquakes?

Open Ended

What are 3 pieces of evidence that support the claim that there was an earthquake?

Multiple Choice

What is the location on the Earth's surface above where the earthquake began called?

• Quake point

• Hypocenter

• Epicenter

• Zero point

Multiple Choice

Where does an earthquake begin?

• Epicenter

• Fault

• Focus

Multiple Choice

What is the chance of an earthquake hitting today?

• 0%

• 25%

• 50%

• 100%

Multiple Choice

Do most shocks happen in populated or unpopulated areas?

• Populated

• Unpopulated

Multiple Choice

Are there any areas that are completely free of having earthquakes?

• Yes, only the polar regions are earthquake-free.

• Yes, earthquakes happen only near oceans.

• No, earthquakes can occur anywhere on Earth.

• No, but they only occur in mountain regions.

Multiple Choice

1. About how many earthquakes occur each day?

• A few dozen

• Hundreds

• Thousands

• Millions

Multiple Choice

Can we predict where earthquakes will occur?

• No, earthquakes cannot yet be predicted.

• Yes, but only a few days in advance.

• Yes, they can predict the exact location and time.

• No, but they never occur in the same place twice.

Open Ended

About how many Magnitude 8 earthquakes are there per year? ___________________

Multiple Choice

Where is the location of the highest Magnitude earthquake ever recorded?

• Japan

• Chile

• Indonesia

• Alaska

Fill in the Blanks

What is the Minimum magnitude of an earthquake? __________ Maximum?______

Fill in the Blanks

Determine the magnitude of an earthquake that occurs one hundred (100) kilometers away and shows an amplitude of one (1) millimeter:

Multiple Choice

Which scale is most commonly now used to measure the magnitude, or size, of an earthquake?

• Mercalli Scale

• Moment Magnitude

• Richter

• weight

Multiple Choice

How much energy is released during a Magnitude 5 earthquake?

• 400,000 lbs (180,000 kg)

• 40 million lbs (18 million kg)

• 400 million lbs (180 million kg)

• 4 million lbs (1.8 million kg)

Multiple Choice

This word describes the size of the earthquake:

• seismograph
• magnitude
• focus
• epicenter