Name ______________________________ Class ___________________ Date __________________
Skills Worksheet
Directed Reading 8.1 pages 224-229
Section: What Are Earthquakes?
1. What is seismology?
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_______________________________________________________________
2. The scientists who study earthquakes are called ______________________
WHERE DO EARTHQUAKES OCCUR?
3. Where do most earthquakes take place?
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4. Giant pieces of Earth’s thin, outermost layer are called
______________________
5. When tectonic plates move and slip past each other, they cause
______________________in Earth’s crust.
6. Why do earthquakes occur along faults?
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WHAT CAUSES EARTHQUAKES?
Match the correct definition with the correct term. Write the letter in the space
provided.
_____ 7. rock deformation that is like a stretched
rubber band and leads to earthquakes
_____ 8. change in the shape of rocks in response
to stress
a. deformation
b. plastic deformation
c. elastic deformation
d. elastic rebound
_____ 9. sudden return of elastically deformed
rock to its undeformed shape
_____ 10. rock deformation that is like a piece of
molded clay and does not lead to
earthquakes
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Earthquakes
Name ______________________________ Class ___________________ Date __________________
Directed Reading A continued
11. What causes rock deformation?
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12. What occurs when more pressure is applied to a rock than it can withstand?
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13. During elastic rebound, energy is released that travels as seismic waves. What
do the seismic waves cause?
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FAULTS AT TECTONIC PLATE BOUNDARIES
_____ 14. Places where a large number of faults are located are
a. convergent zones.
c. earthquake zones.
b. divergent zones.
d. boundary zones.
Match the correct definition with the correct term. Write the letter in the space
provided.
a. divergent motion
_____ 15. occurs where two plates slip past each
other
b. convergent motion
_____ 16. occurs where two plates push together
c. transform motion
_____ 17. occurs where two plates pull away from
each other
18. Where do most earthquakes happen?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
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Earthquakes
Name ______________________________ Class ___________________ Date __________________
Directed Reading A continued
HOW DO EARTHQUAKE WAVES TRAVEL?
_____ 19. Seismic waves that travel through Earth’s interior are
a. surface waves.
c. earth waves.
b. body waves.
d. secondary waves.
_____ 20. Seismic waves that travel along Earth’s surface are
a. surface waves.
c. earth waves.
b. body waves.
d. secondary waves.
_____ 21. Which of the following is a type of body wave?
a. surface wave
b. S wave
c. R wave
d. convergent wave
_____ 22. Which of the following is the fastest type of seismic wave?
a. surface waves
c. S waves
b. body waves
d. P waves
_____ 23. Waves that travel through solids, liquids, and gases are
a. surface waves.
c. P waves.
b. S waves.
d. convergent waves.
_____ 24. Another name for a pressure wave is
a. convergent wave.
c. primary wave.
b. surface wave.
d. secondary wave.
_____ 25. Which of the following is another name for an S wave?
a. secondary wave
c. surface wave
b. P wave
d. primary wave
_____ 26. An S wave is unable to travel through
a. solids.
c. rubber.
b. liquid.
d. rock.
_____ 27. How many types of surface waves are there?
a. one
c. three
b. two
d. four
28. What does the speed of a seismic wave depend on?
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29. Which are always the first waves of an earthquake to be detected?
_______________________________________________________________
30. Which type of body wave always arrives second?
_______________________________________________________________
Original content Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
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Earthquakes
Name ______________________________ Class ___________________ Date __________________
Directed Reading A continued
31. How are surface waves different from body waves?
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_______________________________________________________________
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Match the correct definition with the correct term. Write the letter in the space
provided.
_____ 32. wave of energy that travels through Earth,
away from an earthquake in all directions
_____ 33. seismic wave that causes particles of rock to
move in a back-and-forth direction
a. S wave
b. seismic wave
c. P wave
_____ 34. seismic wave that causes particles of rock to
move in a side-to-side direction
Original content Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
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Earthquakes