Earth Science Regents Earthquakes

What are the three types of faults that can occur along plate boundaries?

• Subduction faults, transform faults, and divergent faults

• Normal faults, reverse faults, and strike-slip faults

• Volcanic faults, seismic faults, and tectonic faults

• Tension faults, compression faults, and shear faults

How are earthquakes measured and what scale is commonly used to measure their magnitude?

• Fahrenheit scale

• Kelvin scale

• Beaufort scale

• Richter scale

What are the primary effects of an earthquake and how do they impact the Earth's surface?

• Ground shaking, surface rupture, and ground displacement

• Drought, wildfire, and avalanche

• Landslide, hurricane, and flood

• Volcanic eruption, tsunami, and tornado

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

An earthquake occurs 6800 km from the seismic station which recorded the p and s-waves recordings. What was the time difference between the arrival times of the p and s-waves?

• 00:10:10

• 00:08:20

• 00:18:40

• 00:014:40

The p-waves of an earthquake arrived at a seismic station at 08:55:50 and the s-waves arrived at 09:03:40. What is the distance to the epicenter from this seismic station?

• 4700 km

• 6100 km

• 2200 km

• 750 km

The difference in P and S wave arrival times at a seismic station is 8 minutes. What is the distance to the epicenter?

• 2,200 km

• 6,300 km

• 6,600 km

• 4,600 km

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS4-1

In some areas of the world, like California and Japan, earthquakes are a common occurrence. How can this best be explained?

• The strong ocean currents are undermining both areas causing earthquakes.

• Both areas are located near the edge of the Pacific Ocean, the unstable sand causes earthquakes.

• Both areas are subjected to strong ocean wind and waves that causes earthquakes.

• Both areas are on the boundary of active plates, the motion of the plates causes earthquakes.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

What causes the shadow zone represented in the image ?

• Deflection of Seismic Waves

• S waves stop in the inner core

• The area is too far from the Earthquake

• P waves stop when they hit the outer core

Plate tectonics is the theory that explains the movement of the Earth's lithosphere. What are the three types of plate boundaries?

• Subduction, collision, and sliding boundaries

• Convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries

• Volcanic, seismic, and erosion boundaries

• Continental, oceanic, and mountain boundaries

Answer explanation

Plate tectonics theory explains Earth's lithosphere movement. The three types of plate boundaries are convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

What is the Ring of Fire and why is it significant in terms of volcanic and seismic activity?

• The Ring of Fire is a popular amusement park with volcanic and seismic themed rides.

• The Ring of Fire is a mythical jewelry item said to have magical powers over earthquakes and volcanoes.

• The Ring of Fire is a famous rock band known for their songs about volcanic eruptions.

• The Ring of Fire is a region of high volcanic and seismic activity in the Pacific Ocean basin.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2