EARTHQUAKE DIRECTED READING – DUACSEK EARTH SCIENCE
11.1 HOW ROCK DEFORMS
1. What is stress?
a. the cracks caused by squeezing, stretching, and twisting
b. the type of isostatic adjustment the crust makes
c. the type of force exerted on each unit of area
d. the amount of force exerted on each unit of area
2. The type of stress that squeezes and shortens a body is called
a. collision.
b. tension.
c. compression.
d. convergence.
3. In addition to reducing the amount of space that rock occupies, compression
a. pushes rocks higher up or deeper down into the crust.
b. pulls rocks higher up into the crust.
c. pushes rocks deeper down into the crust.
d. transforms tectonic plates.
4. Where is one place that compression occurs?
a. where tectonic plates pull apart
b. where tectonic plates are stable
c. where tectonic plates collide
d. where tectonic plates neither pull apart or collide
5. The type of stress known as tension
a. squeezes a body and reduces its volume.
b. stretches and pulls a body apart.
c. forces rock together.
d. causes explosions.
6. When tension pulls rocks apart, the rocks
a. become distorted.
b. thicken.
c. take up more volume.
d. become thinner.
7. What is strain?
a. the result of tension on rock
b. any change in shape or volume of rock caused by stress
c. when rock withstands any pressure put on it without changing
d. when rock breaks because of compression
8. Stresses on rock close to Earth’s surface, where temperatures and pressures are low, may
cause the rock to
a. collapse.
b. become ductile.
c. bend.
d. break.
____9. fracture
a. a break along which one block slides relative to another
____10. fault
b. a break around which there is no movement of the surrounding rock
11. What is a strike-slip fault? ___________________________________________________________
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12.1 HOW AND WHERE EQ HAPPEN
12. Rocks along both sides of a fault are usually
a. not pressed together. b. tightly pressed together.
c. loosely pressed together.
d. not touching.
13. The trembling and vibrations of an earthquake are caused when
a. the rocks become so pressed together that they shatter and release energy.
b. the friction is reduced so much that the rocks cannot move past each other.
c. the stress is reduced so much that the rocks of a fault suddenly break apart.
d. the stress becomes so great that the rocks of a fault suddenly grind past each other.
14. After the rocks fracture, what happens?
a. They collapse and fall back to their original shape.
b. They rebound and spring back to their original shape.
c. They are ground down into gravel.
d. They release their energy and disintegrate.
15. The location within Earth along a fault where the first motion of an earthquake occurs is called the
a. epicenter.
b. fault.
c. focus.
d. shadow.
16. About 90% of continental earthquakes have a shallow _________________________________ .
17. Why do earthquakes that usually cause the most damage have shallow foci?
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18. When rocks along a fault slip into new positions, they release energy in the form of vibrations called
a. tidal waves.
b. elastic waves.
c. seismic waves.
d. focus waves.
19. Where do seismic waves travel?
a. outward in all directions from the focus through the surrounding rock
b. inward in all directions from the epicenter through the surrounding rock
c. outward in all directions from Earth’s core through its surface
d. inward in all directions from the focus through the epicenter
20. Define “shadow zone.” _____________________________________________________________
21. Why do shadow zones exist? ________________________________________________________
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____22. tectonic plate boundaries
____24. divergent plate boundaries
____23. convergent plate boundaries
____25. continental plate boundaries
a. a point at which two continental plates converge, diverge, or move horizontally in opposite directions
b. a point at which plates move away from each other
c. a point at which stress on rock is the greatest
d. a point at which plates move toward each other and collide
26. A fault zone is a region of
a. numerous, closely spaced faults.
b. a few, closely spaced faults.
c. Earth’s core where the rocks form faults.
d. Earth’s mantle where faults form.
27. Why do fault zones occur at plate boundaries? ___________________________________________
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28. Which of the following statements about earthquakes in California is false?
a. California experiences more than 30 earthquakes each day.
b. Most earthquakes in California are too small to feel.
c. Earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 and greater are uncommon in California.
d. Many earthquakes in California happen at tectonic plate boundaries.
12.2 STUDYING EARTHQUAKES
29. What is the study of earthquakes and seismic waves called?
a. meteorology
b. seismology
c. zoology
d. cartography
30. A seismograph is an instrument that records vibrations (2)
a. in the ground.
b. in the atmosphere.
c. above the ground. d. in Earth’s core.
31. A tracing of earthquake motion that is recorded by a seismograph is called a(n) _______________________
32. Why are P waves the first waves to be recorded by a seismograph? __________________________
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33. Which type of wave is the second wave to be recorded by a seismograph? ____ ________________
34. What types of waves are the slowest, and therefore the last to be recorded by a seismograph?
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35. Scientists determine the distance to an epicenter by analyzing
a. the length of the P waves and the S waves.
b. the frequency of the P waves and the S waves.
c. the power of the P waves and the S waves.
d. the arrival times of P waves and the S waves.
36. The longer the lag time between the arrival of the P waves and the S waves,
a. the closer the earthquake occurred.
b. the weaker the earthquake’s vibrations.
c. the farther away the earthquake occurred.
d. the stronger the earthquake’s vibrations.
____37. magnitude
____39. Richter scale ____41. moment magnitude
____38. intensity
____40. Mercalli scale
a. the amount of damage caused by an earthquake
b. the measure of earthquake strength based on the size of the area of the fault that moves, the average
distance that the fault block moves, and the rigidity of the rocks in the fault zone
c. the measure of the strength of an earthquake
d. a measurement system that expresses earthquake intensity in Roman numerals and describes the
effects of each intensity
e. a measurement system that bases earthquake strength on ground motion
42. Which magnitude scale do scientists generally prefer now? _________________________________
43. Upon what does the intensity of an earthquake depend? ___________________________________
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12.3 EARTHQUAKES AND SOCIETY
44. What causes most injuries during an earthquake? ________________________________________
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45. Name four other dangers that result from earthquakes. ____________________________________
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46. A giant ocean wave that forms after a volcanic eruption, submarine earthquake, or landslide is called
a____________________.
47. Which of the following drops and rises with the ocean floor as it moves?
a. a tall building
b. the earthquake’s epicenter
c. a large mass of sea water
d. floodwater
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48. Most buildings are not designed to withstand the
a. swaying motion caused by earthquakes.
b. extreme vibrations caused by earthquakes.
c. swaying motion caused by tsunamis.
d. extreme vibrations caused by tsunamis.
49. During an earthquake, buildings with weak walls
a. will not sway.
b. may collapse completely.
c. will probably remain standing.
d. will suffer no damage.
50. What can affect the way that a building responds to seismic waves?
a. the type of heating and cooling system in the building
b. the type of ground beneath the building
c. the type of windows in the building
d. the type of plumbing in the building
51. Where could a destructive earthquake take place?
a. only in regions where tornadoes occur
b. in any region of the United States
c. only on the coastlines of large continents
d. only in regions where tsunamis occur
52. In what geographic areas in the United States are destructive earthquakes more likely to
occur?
a. the Midwest
b. the East Coast
c. the South
d. California or Alaska
53. Before an earthquake occurs, people should
a. be unprepared.
b. be prepared. c. run away as fast as they can.
d. board up their houses.
54. Which of the following supplies are NOT necessary when preparing for an earthquake?
a. canned food and bottled water b. flashlights and batteries c. portable radios d. piles of firewood
55. Which of the following should you NOT do if an earthquake strikes?
a. stay calm b. panic c. protect yourself from falling debris d. move to a safer position between tremors
56. What should you stay away from if you are indoors during an earthquake? _____________________
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57. What should you do if you are in a car during an earthquake? _______________________________
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58. What should you check for after an earthquake? _________________________________________
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59. What should you always avoid after an earthquake? ______________________________________
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60. Being able to predict earthquakes accurately could
a. negatively affect people’s lives.
b. make it impossible for people to prepare.
c. increase the number of injuries and deaths. d. help prevent injuries and deaths.
61. Why do scientists study past earthquakes?
a. to prevent future earthquakes
b. to better understand why tsunamis occur
c. to predict where future earthquakes are most likely to occur
d. to change the history of earthquakes
62. By detecting changes in Earth’s crust, scientists may be able to
a. make forecasts more accurate.
b. make forecasts less accurate.
c. prevent future earthquakes.
d. prevent future tsunamis.
63. Faults near many population centers have been
a. located and mapped.
b. located and destroyed.
c. relocated and mapped.
d. relocated and destroyed.
64. What can be measured by instruments placed along faults?
a. large changes in rock movement around the faults
b. small changes in epicenter movement around the faults
c. small changes in rock movement around the faults
d. large changes in crust movement around the faults
65. What else can be detected when instruments are placed along faults?
a. a decrease in stress
b. an increase in stress
c. an increase in fault size
d. a decrease in fault size
66. Some earthquakes are preceded by
_________________________ .
67. Where and when did the only earthquake that has ever been predicted by foreshocks occur?
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