The Great Alaska Earthquake Mystery Quiz

At the beginning of the article, why was geologist George Plafker staring out of the airplane window in horror?

• He thought the plane was going to crash.

• He saw the destruction caused by a powerful earthquake.

• The ground far beneath the plane was shaking violently.

• He was afraid of flying.

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Which of the following causes earthquakes to happen?

• sudden movement in Earth’s crust

• vibrations from airplanes

• mountaintop erosion

• giant waves

Which of the following is TRUE about Earth’s tectonic plates?

• Scientists still aren’t sure whether they move.

• They are underneath a layer of molten rock—Earth’s mantle.

• They are always moving but usually very slowly.

• Earth used to have 17 plates, but now it has 7.

On his second trip, Plafker observed dead barnacles, a kind of sea creature, many feet above the water. What was Plafker able to conclude based on the dead barnacles he found?

• The earthquake hadn’t changed the land at all.

• The earthquake caused cliffsides to fall into the water.

• The earthquake caused parts of the seafloor to rise up above the water.

• Barnacles are able to survive out of the water.

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Why was Plafker’s work on the Great Alaska Earthquake important?

• He figured out how to stop earthquakes from happening.

• His work helped show that Earth’s plates are always moving.

• His work helped show that Earth’s crust is not made of plates.

• He figured out how to build safer buildings.