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Locating and Measuring Earthquakes

Total questions: 45

Worksheet time: 25mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
Where is the point at which the first movement occurs during an earthquake?
a)
Epicenter
b)
Focus
c)
Fault
d)
Plate
2.
Where is the point on the Earth’s surface directly above the focus of an earthquake?
a)
Epicenter
b)
Fault
c)
Hypocenter
d)
Tremor
3.
Which body waves cause particles of rock material to move at right angles to the direction in which the waves are traveling?
a)
Body Waves
b)
P Waves
c)
S Waves
d)
Surface Waves
4.
What is an instrument that detects and records waves produced by earthquakes? (This piece of equipment can measure the magnitude of an earthquake.)
a)
Epicenter
b)
Fault
c)
Seismogram
d)
Seismograph
5.
What is the measure of the amount of energy released in an earthquake?
a)
Earthquake
b)
Epicenter
c)
Magnitude
d)
Seismogram
6.
Which scale rates earthquakes based on the amount of damage done?
a)
Mercalli Scale
b)
Richter Scale
c)
Seismogram Scale
d)
Bernoulli Scale
7.
Which scale measures the intensity of the ground movement?
a)
Mercalli Scale
b)
Richter Scale
c)
Seismogram Scale
d)
Bernoulli Scale
8.
What is the temporary state in which loose soil and rock materials take on the property of a liquid?
a)
Aftershock
b)
Liquefaction
c)
Seismic Gap
d)
Tsunami
9.
What is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake?
a)
Aftershock
b)
Liquefaction
c)
Seismic Gap
d)
Tsunami
10.
What is an area along a seismically active fault where no earthquake activity has occurred over a long period of time?
a)
Aftershock
b)
Liquefaction
c)
Seismic Gap
d)
Tsunami
11.
The Richter scale measures:
a)
the amount of radon gas released
b)
the movement of plates
c)
the strength of an earthquake
d)
the weight of tectonic plates
12.
The Modified Mercalli scale rates the amount of damage from an earthquake
a)
true
b)
false
13.
An earthquake scored high on the Richter scale but low on the Mercalli scale. Why?
a)
it probably happened in an area with no people
b)
it was a fast earthquake
c)
because it damaged a lot
d)
impossible to tell
14.
Which of the following amplifies the S waves during an earthquake?
a)
Soft underlying soil
b)
Strong rocks underground
c)
Closeness to a volcano
d)
Altitude of the epicentre
15.
How much bigger is a magnitude 8 earthquake compared to magnitude 7 one on the Richter Scale?
a)
1 time bigger
b)
10 times bigger
c)
100 times bigger
d)
1000 times bigger
16.
At about what time did all of the S-waves hit?
a)
20 sec
b)
45 sec
c)
50 sec
d)
10 seconds
17.
You use a travel-time graph (difference in P and S Wave arrival times) to find:
a)
Distance to epicenter
b)
Distance to fault
c)
Distance to core
18.
The Richter scale measures:
a)
the amount of radon gas released
b)
the movement of plates
c)
the strength of an earthquake
d)
the weight of tectonic plates
19.

Which of the following affects the amount of destruction caused by earthquake vibrations?

a)

the nature of the material on which structures are built

b)

the design of structures

c)

the intensity and duration of the vibrations

d)

All of the above

20.

The amount of shaking produced by an earthquake at a given location is called the ____.

a)

epicenter

b)

Richter magnitude

c)

magnitude

d)

intensity

21.

An earthquake’s magnitude is a measure of the ____.

a)

number of surface waves it produces

b)

amount of shaking it produces

c)

damage it causes

d)

size of seismic waves it produces

22.

Why do earthquakes often cause damaging fires?

a)

Tsunamis from earthquakes generate enough heat to start fires.

b)

Earthquake vibrations can break gas lines, water lines, and electrical lines.

c)

Lightning strikes are common during earthquakes.

d)

Magma from deep underground escapes through faults.

23.

Most earthquakes are produced by the rapid release of which kind of energy stored in rock subjected to great forces?

a)

thermal

b)

chemical

c)

elastic

d)

mechanical

24.

The Richter magnitude of an earthquake is determined from the ____.

a)

intensity of an earthquake

b)

arrival times of P waves and S waves

c)

measurement of the amplitude of the largest seismic waves

d)

duration of an earthquake

25.

According to Figure 8-­1, what is the distance between the seismic station and an earthquake epicenter, if the first S wave arrives 4.0 minutes after the first P wave? Be sure to read kilometers at the top of the graph.

a)

3000 kilometers

b)

1500 kilometers

c)

2000 kilometers

d)

2500 kilometers

26.
Which seismogram represents a city that is far from the epicenter of an earthquake?  
a)
New York, NY
b)
Nome, Alaska
c)
Guadalajara, Mexico
27.
How do scientists find the epicenter of an earthquake?
a)
by comparing arrival times of P waves and S waves at several seismograph stations
b)
by digging at several locations and comparing data
c)
by comparing departure times of P waves and S waves at several seismograph stations
d)
by reviewing satellite photos of tsunamis
28.
What is the minimum number of seismograph stations needed to locate an earthquake epicenter?
a)
1
b)
2
c)
3
d)
1 billion
29.
What does the image represent?
a)
Triangulation
b)
Seismograph
c)
Seismogram
d)
Seismic Waves
30.
What type of seismic wave is shown at the TOP?
a)
P wave
b)
S wave
c)
Surface
d)
None
31.
Which of the statements best describes the relationship between S-P Interval time and distance from epicenter? 
a)
The longer the S-P interval, the closer the distance.
b)
The longer the S-P interval, the farther the distance. 
c)
The shorter the S-P interval, the farther the distance. 
d)
There is no relationship. 
32.
If the S-P interval is 62 seconds, what is the distance to the epicenter?
a)
400 km
b)
600 km
c)
580 km
d)
660 km
33.
What is the term of the process of using data from 3 or more seismograms to determine the location of an earthquake's epicenter?
a)
Tribulation
b)
Triangulation
c)
Trigonometry
d)
Triedreallyhard
34.
Which of the statements best describes the relationship between lag time and distance from epicenter? 
a)
The longer the lag time, the closer the distance.
b)
The longer the lag time, the farther the distance. 
c)
The shorter the lag time, the farther the distance. 
d)
There is no relationship. 
35.
Which statement best explains the difference between longitudinal and transverse waves?
a)
Longitudinal waves have troughs, while transverse waves have crests.
b)
Longitudinal waves produce energy, while transverse waves consume energy.
c)
Particles in longitudinal waves travel towards a force, while particles in transverse wave travel away from a force.
d)
Particles in longitudinal waves travel in the direction of the wave, while particles in transverse waves travel perpendicular to the wave.
36.

As the distance from the epicenter decreases, the time interval between the arrival of the P-waves and the S-waves on the seismograph will _________________

a)

decrease

b)

increase

c)

remain the same

d)

zero

37.

What is the arrival time of the P-wave?

a)

3:01:00

b)

3:01:30

c)

3:01:40

d)

3:02:00

38.

What is the arrival time of the S-wave?

a)

3:01:40

b)

3:05:00

c)

3:05:30

d)

3:10

39.

In which seismogram is the time probe placed at the beginning of the p-wave?

a)

A

b)

B

c)

C

d)

D

40.

On the Richter scale what does the measurement increase by when the measurement goes up one whole number?

a)

factor of 30

b)

factor of 10

c)

factor of 100

d)

factor of 900

41.

What is the range for the Mercalli intensity scale?

a)

l to Xll

b)

l-X

c)

1-10

d)

infinity

42.

Which is more useful to measure the impact of an earthquake?

a)

Magnitude

b)

intensity

43.

Which scale measures the amount of the ground movement?

a)
Mercalli Scale
b)
Richter Scale
c)
Seismogram Scale
d)
Bernoulli Scale
44.

Earthquakes that occur closer to the Earth's surface tend to be...

a)

of larger magnitude and high intensity which cause severe damage

b)

of larger magnitude and low intensity which cause minimal damage

c)

of smaller magnitude and low intensity which cause minimal damage

d)

of smaller magnitude and high intensity which cause severe damage

45.

The Richter scale is used to measure the magnitude of a seismograph during the event of an earthquake. Since the Richter scale is logarithmic, each whole number increase correlates to...

a)

3 times greater magnitude

b)

5 times greater magnitude

c)

10 times greater magnitude

d)

12 times greater magnitude

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