Name: _______________________
Advanced Earth Science
Section 10.2 (2nd part) and 10.4 questions
Read page 220 and answer the questions 1-3. Then read section 10.4 and answer questions 4-6.
1. Define magnitude.
2. What is the difference between the Richter scale and moment magnitude?
3. Suppose one earthquake has a Richter magnitude of 3. A second earthquake has a Richter
magnitude of 6. How many times more powerful is the magnitude-6 earthquake than the
magnitude-3 earthquake. Explain how you got your answer.
4. When P and S waves travel through denser material, what happens to their velocities?
5. Scientists have been able to detect P and S waves changes speeds as they move through the
interior of Earth. What does this mean about the interior of Earth?
Flip it over, there is more…
6. Fill in the following table:
Location
Crust
Speed of movement (faster or slower) relative to
previous layer. (Think of material in each layer)
Normal Speed
Mantle
Outer Core
Inner Core
7. Why do P-waves create a shadow zone?
8. Why do S-waves create a shadow zone?
9. Label the diagram of the Earth below with the appropriate shadow zones:
10. How was the Moho discovered?
11. Petroleum geologists can use seismic waves to locate oil beneath Earth’s surface. Oil is
usually trapped in porous rock that lies beneath a layer of denser rock. Predict how the speed
of a seismic wave would change as it traveled through these layers.