Earthquakes

Waves move out through the ground from the ..........

• rift

• focus (or hypocenter)

• epicenter

• fault line

The Richter scale measures --

• the amount of radon gas released
• the movement of plates
• the strength of an earthquake
• the weight of tectonic plates

Which travels fastest, always being the first detected by seismic stations?

• P waves
• S waves

What do S (secondary) waves do during an earthquake?

• Shake the ground
• Cause eruptions
• Open cracks in the earth's surface
• Create loud noises

The epicenter of an earthquake is

• The point below the surface where rock begins to break and the first motion occurs
• The seismic station closest to the earthquake
• The place where the greatest damage occurs
• The point on the surface directly above the focus

An instrument that detects and measures earthquakes is a --

• seismogrammer

• focus seismic map

• focus

• seismograph

How much bigger is a magnitude 8 earthquake compared to magnitude 7 one on the Richter Scale?

• 1 time bigger
• 10 times bigger
• 100 times bigger
• 1000 times bigger

Which type of stress force causes a strike-slip fault to occur?

• compression
• shearing
• tension
• reverse

What type of seismic wave can travel through both liquids and solids?

• P waves
• S waves
• surface waves
• focus waves

Which scale would most likely be used to tell how much earthquake damage was done to homes and other buildings?

• Richter scale

• moment magnitude scale

• Mercalli scale