Avoiding Earthquake Surprises in the Pacific Northwest

Where is Cascadia located?

• in Alaska

• in Chile

• in the Pacific Northwest

• in the middle of the Pacific Ocean

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NGSS.HS-ESS3-1

What is the cause of earthquakes?

• the sudden breaking of the earth’s rigid outer shell

• the stretching and thinning of the rocks that make up a tectonic plate

• the very slow movement of tectonic plates that are separating from each other

• the energy released when two tectonic plates grind together and then suddenly move

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NGSS.HS-ESS1-5

NGSS.HS-ESS2-1

What evidence led scientists to conclude that Cascadia had been hit by large earthquakes many times in the past?

• the knowledge that the earth’s outer shell is made up of tectonic plates

• the remains of forests in Cascadia that had died because of flooding

• the fact that Alaska had been hit by an earthquake of magnitude 9.2

• the revision of the Uniform Building Code in the Pacific Northwest

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NGSS.HS-ESS1-5

Based on the text, what may have led people to revise the Uniform Building Code in the Pacific Northwest?

• the need to prevent large earthquakes from happening in the Pacific Northwest region

• the fact that buildings in the Pacific Northwest had recently fallen down during earthquakes

• the desire to help scientists learn about buildings in areas that are likely to be hit by earthquakes

• the evidence that large earthquakes had struck the Pacific Northwest in the past

What is the main idea of this article?

• Scientists can tell where large earthquakes have occurred by studying dead forests along coastal land.

• Earthquakes can occur along subduction zones, where an oceanic tectonic plate sinks below a continental plate

• Scientists have found evidence that the Pacific Northwest is at risk of being hit by major earthquakes.

• Changing the Uniform Building Code in the Pacific Northwest was an important step toward meeting the threat of large earthquakes.

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NGSS.HS-ESS3-1

NGSS.HS-ESS3-4

Read these sentences from the text.

“Earthquakes can’t be prevented. However, people can take measures to minimize the damage they cause. In some cases, communities can strengthen existing dams, bridges, water systems, schools, hospitals, and lifelines (electrical, gas, and water lines). They can also design and build earthquake-resistant structures.”

What does the word “measures” most nearly mean in this sentence?

• questions

• amounts

• actions

• lessons

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NGSS.MS-ETS1-1

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Choose the answer that best completes the second sentence below.

Scientists used to think that Cascadia would only be struck by earthquakes of magnitude 7 or below. ______, they found more recent evidence of bigger earthquakes in the region.

• Therefore

• However

• Indeed

• For example

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NGSS.HS-ESS1-5

How much more energy will a magnitude 8 earthquake release when compared to a magnitude 7?

• 10 times

• 30 times

• 3 times

• 100 times

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NGSS.HS-PS3-1

During the 2 great quakes in the 1900s; how far forward did the continents move?

• 20 meters

• 2 meters

• 10 meters

• 30 meters

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NGSS.HS-ESS1-5

Which type of crust is more dense, causing it to sink?

• Oceanic Crust

• Continental Crust

• Both Sink

• Neither will sink

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-5