Flyswatter Game: Earthquake Questions
1. Ring of Fire – What area in the world tends to have the most earthquakes?
2. Compression – This is the stress when two objects are squeezing together.
3. Mercalli scale - This scale rates earthquakes according to their intensity by how much
damage they do.
4. Surface waves – These waves are the most damaging in an earthquake.
5. Tension – This is the stress created when two objects are moving apart from each other.
6. Richter scale - A scale that rates seismic waves as measured by a mechanical seismograph; it’s
no longer used by scientists.
7. Surface waves – These are the most damaging seismic waves.
8. Shearing – Type of stress when two objects pass by each other horizontally.
9. Seismograph - A device that records seismic movements in the earth.
10. S waves – These waves cannot go through liquids.
11. Closer to the epicenter - Where will the most damage generally be after an earthquake?
12. Magnitude - A term that refers to the total energy released by an earthquake.
13. Tectonic boundaries move and release energy – Why do most earthquakes take place at plate
boundaries?
14. P waves – These waves can go through all substances.
15. Moment Magnitude scale - The measurement of earthquake’s strength based on seismic waves
and movement along faults.
16. Earthquake under the sea – What causes a tsunami?
17. Aftershock - An earthquake that occurs after an initial earthquake in the same area.
18. Faults – What is the major cause for earthquakes?
19. Convergent plate boundary – This is two tectonic plates moving toward each other.
20. Liquefaction - The process by which an earthquake’s violent movement causes loose soil to
become saturated with water.
21. Epicenter – At what point is the most damage generally done in an earthquake?
22. Tsunami - A giant wave caused by an earthquake in the ocean floor.
23. Deformation – A change in the shape and size of rock.
24. It’s on a single tectonic plate - What is the most likely reason that there were no major
earthquakes recorded in the interior of the continent of Africa?
25. Focus – Where does the earthquake begin?
26. Compression - Which type of stress happens at convergent plate boundaries?
27. Fault – A fissure where rock movement has taken place
28. Convergent tectonic plate boundary - Two tectonic plates collide with one another causing
subduction and/or mountain building.
29. Earthquake – ground movement that occurs when blocks of rocks move and release energy.
30. Decreases – As the distance from an epicenter increases, what happens to the intensity?
31. Strike-slip fault – What type of fault is the San Andreas Fault?
32. Compression and expansion - What describes how P waves affect the rock through which they
travel?
33. Increases – What happens to magnitude as you get closer to the epicenter.
34. Fire – This type of danger can result from an earthquake?
35. Body waves - These waves travel underground outward from the focus.
36. Surface waves - L waves are what category of waves?
37. Flooding – This type of danger can result from an earthquake?
38. 100 – How many times stronger is an EQ of magnitude 8 on the Richter scale than an EQ of
magnitude 6 on the Richter scale?
39. Stress - A force that acts on a rock to change its shape or volume.
40. Polluted water - This type of danger can result from an earthquake?
41. P waves – The fastest seismic waves.