Earthquakes

What characteristics of the crust and mantle allow Earth to be tectonically active?

• Earth's solid surface layer rotates faster than the layers under it
• Areas of Earth's solid surface layer are under great pressure from ocean water
• Earth's solid surface layer sits on a moving, semiliquid layer
• Areas of Earth's solid surface layer are thicker and heavier than others

Tectonic motion caused tension between plates in Earth’s crust. A sudden release of this energy occurred. Based on this information, which event happened?

• subsidence
• earthquake
• volcanic eruption
• meteoroid impact

The distribution of earthquakes on Earth’s surface is evidence that Earth’s crust is divided into ____.

• dishes
• oceans
• plates
• mantle

The crack along which rocks break and an earthquake occurs is a _____.

• focus
• fault
• epicenter
• hypocenter

Which scale is used to report the intensity of an earthquake?

• Mercalli
• Richter
• Fujita
• Morimoto

What causes the buildup of energy that is released at a later time when an earthquake occurs?

• Heat from earth's core slowly melts the rocks found in the Earth's crust
• Nuclear reactions in Earth's lower crust release electromagnetic waves
• Jagged edges along a fault generate friction (heat) between two moving plates
• According to the elastic rebound theory, rocks bend until their strength is exceeded.

A ____ may form when a body of water is forced inland by an earthquake or a volcanic eruption.

• Volcanoe
• Earthquake
• Tsunami
• Hurricane

In creating these architectural designs, Japanese engineers developed new technology to construct buildings able to escape damage from what?

• Volcanoe
• Flood
• Earthquake
• Fires

Seismic waves occur as a result of an earthquake. What wave property makes it possible for scientists to locate the source of an earthquake?

• The wavelength of a wave is measured from crest to crest
• Waves travel uniformly outward from the wave source
• The frequency of waves varies in different mediums
• Waves move at the same speed in different materials

The focus is a point in the interior of Earth where energy is released causing an earthquake. How do the waves generated at the focus move?

• they stop when they reach the surface
• they die out before reaching the fault
• they become stronger in the atmosphere
• they move out in all directions