Earthquakes and Seismic Waves

The area beneath Earth's surface where rock that is under stress breaks is the ________________ .

• earthquake
• epicenter
• focus
• plateau

_________________ are seismic waves that move both up and down and side to side.

• P waves
• S waves
• Surface waves
• faults

What is true about the Moment Magnitude Scale?

• A. It estimates the total energy released.
• B. It can rate earthquakes near or far.
• Neither A or B 
• Both A or B

Magnitude tells geologists...

• how much energy was released
• a number that geologists assign based on an earthquakes size
• how much damage occurred
• all of the options

Geologists use _____________________ to locate an earthquakes epicinter.

• Surface Waves
• seismic waves
• focus
• the Mercalli scale

Scientists need data from at least ___ seismographs to find and earthquake's epicenter.

• 5
• 2
• 4
• 3

The point on the surface directly above the focus is called the _________________.

• epicenter
• seismograph
• home
• fault