Earthquakes and Seismic Waves

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

• most earthquakes occur at plate boundaries

• the time and location of most major earthquakes can be predicted several days in advance

• earthquakes can be caused by normal, reverse and strike-slip faulting

• P waves travel faster than both S waves and surface waves

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

Which city is closest to the epicenter?  

• A

• B

• C

Point on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's focus

• focus

• epicenter

• earthquake

• magnitude

A type of seismic wave that compresses and expands the ground and are the first waves to arrive

• S wave

• P wave

• surface waves

• magnitude

seismic waves that travel along the Earth's surface and produce more severe ground movements

• S wave

• P wave

• surface waves

• magnitude

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

A type of seismic wave that moves the ground up and down or side to side

• S wave

• P wave

• surface waves

• magnitude

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-5

A scale that rates an earthquake's magnitude based on the size of its seismic waves.

• Richter scale

• moment magnitude scale

• seismograph

• Mercalli scale

A device that records ground movements caused by seismic waves as they move through Earth

• Richter scale

• moment magnitude scale

• seismograph

• Mercalli scale

The shaking that results from the movement of rock beneath Earth's surface.

• focus

• epicenter

• earthquake

• magnitude

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

Measure of the energy released during an earthquake

• focus

• epicenter

• earthquake

• magnitude