Plate Tectonics/Earthquakes

Which earthquake wave arrives at the seismograph station first?

• p-wave

• s-wave

• surface wave

Why are s-waves larger on a seismograph?

• because they are stronger

• because they move the ground side to side

• because they reach the seismograph first

The times that earthquake waves arrive at different seismographs are different. Why?

• The seismograph at one city is mechanical. The others are electronic.

• Each city is a different distance from the earthquake's epicenter. It takes time for the energy to spread there.

• One city sits on loose soil, and the other cities are on bedrock.

Where does a p-wave travel?

• through the body of the Earth

• on the surface of the Earth

How does a p-wave move the land?

• it pushes and pulls it

• it moves it side to side

• in a horizontal direction

What is the name of the area of intense earthquake and volcanic activity that circles the Pacific Ocean?

• The Ring

• Ring of Quakes

• Ring of Fire

What is responsible for earthquakes along the western coast of California?

• two continental plates colliding

• plates spreading at the mid-ocean ridge

• two plates sliding past one another

Plate boundaries are where the broken pieces of the ________________________ meet.

• asthenosphere

• lithosphere

• crust

• core

Earthquakes (and volcanoes) are not random occurrences; they often occur along

• fault lines

• plate boundaries

• the center of land

At convergent plate boundaries, plates

• collide

• divide

• slide past each other