ISNS4359
Name______________________________________________
EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANOES
Spring 2005
(FINAL) Exam 3 (100 points) Fill in the blank, circle the T or F for True or False, or for multiple-choice questions, place the letter
containing the best answer in the blank. Be sure to double-check all questions to make sure you have not skipped any.
_____1. Which of the following materials are capable of amplifying seismic waves the most, increasing ground shaking and
the resulting damage? A. Hard bedrock such as granite; B. Limestone; C. Sandstone; D. Metamorphic rocks
(gneisses and schists); or E. Alluvium, Muds, and Silts.
_____2. In what plate boundary is the largest amount of magma produced yet the least amount of seismic energy released?
A. Strike-Slip,
B. Rift/Spreading.
C. Subduction/Collisonal,
_____3. The largest volcanic eruptions of the last two centuries (eg. Pinatubo, Krakatau, Tambora) resulted in global:
[A. cooling, B. warming, or C. no change] to climate within one to two years of the eruption.
_____4. The currently accepted approximate temperature at the center of the Earth's inner core is approximately the same as
the average surface temperature of the sun, which is: A. 5-6 million C; B. 50-60C; C. 500-600C; or D. 5,000-6,000C.
_____5. During the last century, scientists have been more successful at predicting: A. Earthquakes or B. Volcanic Eruptions.
_____6. Many geothermal power plants are located near plate boundaries or above mantle plumes because of:
A. Increased rainfall due to nearby mountain ranges, B. The presence of young, shallow magma chambers,
C. Increased seismic energy released nearby, or D. Abundant nearby oil and gas migration.
_____7. Where is Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system, located? A. Mercury; B. Venus; C. Mars; or D. Io.
_____8. Which of the following Volcanic Hazards caused the most deaths in the 20th century?
A. Lava Flows;
B. Ash falls; C. Lahars; D. Pyroclastic Flows; or
E. Tsunami.
_____9. A unique measure of an earthquake's size or energy released is called the Earthquake:
A. Intensity; B. Magnitude, C. Hypocernter, D. Epicenter, E. Focus, or F. Isoseismal.
_____10. Which layer of the earth is weak & ductile in its entirety? A. Crust; B. Mantle, C. Lithosphere, or D. Asthenosphere
_____11. An earthquake of Richter Magnitude: A. 5-6, B. 6-7, C. 7-8, or D. 8-9 is called a Major Earthquake,
can cause serious damage to nearby buildings, and globally occurs (on average) about 12-20 times per year.
_____12. Earthquakes of lower magnitude generally occur: A. less or B. more frequently than those of higher magnitude.
_____13.. Which object is now the most volcanically active? A. Mercury; B. Venus; C. Earth; or D. Jupiter’s moon Io.
_____14. The most common volcanic rock on Earth, forms the bulk of oceanic crust, and results from the partial melting of
mantle peridotite is called:
A. andesite,
B. komatiite,
C. basalt,
D. rhyolite,
E. carbonatite.
_____15. Which one of the following countries is not among the top ten geothermal power producers in the world?
A. USA,
B. Japan,
C. Brazil,
D. Philippines, E. New Zealand, or
F. Iceland.
_____16. An earthquake of what value on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale would you expect to result in near total
destruction of buildings (note the use of Roman numerals): A. I,
B. II,
C. V,
D. XI, E. XVI,
F. XXII
_____17. The [A. Seismic Moment, B. Body Wave, or C. Richter] Magnitude is the best parameter for comparing earthquakes
because it is a measure of the energy released and can be calculated by multiplying three parameters: the shear modulus,
the ruptured area of the fault, and the average slip that occurred along the fault during the earthquake.
_____18. Which one of the following states is not among the top ten most vulnerable to volcanic hazards in the USA?
A. Alaska,
B. Washington, C. California,
D. New York,
E. Hawaii,
F. Oregon, or G. Wyoming.
_____19. Which one of the following states is not among the top ten most vulnerable to earthquake hazards in the USA?
A. Alaska,
B. Washington, C. California,
D. New York,
E. Nevada, F. Oregon, or G. Missouri
20. Fill in the main type of fault associated with each of the three main types of plate boundaries (left) and three types of stress
regimes (right) (realizing that any and all faults can occur along a given plate boundary): A. Strike-Slip, B. Normal, C. Reverse
______Spreading Center/Rift
______ compressional
______Transform
______ shear
______Subduction/Collision Zone
______ extensional
_______21. Which of the following major plates contains the largest continental landmass?
A. North American, B. Indo-Australian, C. Pacific, D. Eurasian, E. Atlantic, F. Nazca, G. Antarctic.
22. List three short-term precursors used by geologists to predict earthquakes.______________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____23. What do we call a specific, dangerous physical phenomenon or process capable of causing death or property destruction?
A. Mitigation
B. Risk
C. Hazard
D. Prediction, E. Isoseismal.
_____24. During the last century (1900-2000) approximately how many people were killed by earthquakes?
A. 30,000,
B. 300,000,
C. 3,000,000,
D. 30,000,000, or
E. 300,000,000.
_____25. What part of the world’s population now lives on or near an active fault? A. 1%, B. 10%, C. 20%, or D. 30%.
26._________Waves vibrate in the direction of body wave propagation and have larger amplitudes than
____________Waves, body waves that vibrate perpendicular to their direction of propagation (use letter abbreviation).
27. _________Waves are seismic body waves that cannot be transmitted through fluids (liquid or gas).
28. ___________________is the name most geologists call a fracture in rocks across which offset has occurred.
T F 29. You are statistically more likely to die from an earthquake (if living in CA) than from a motor vehicle accident.
T F 30. The difference in arrival time between P and S waves is related to the distance of the seismograph from the focus.
T F 31. During the twentieth century, earthquakes and their effects killed approximately the same number of people (within
10%) as volcanic eruptions and their effects.
T F 32. Seismic gaps along major and trends in migration of earthquakes with time along major faults can be used as predictors
of future earthquakes.
______33. The least amount of magma is formed near what type of plate boundary? A. Strike-Slip, B. Convergent, C. Divergent.
34. Name three Direct Hazards that can result from Volcanic Eruptions:
A. _____________________________ B. _____________________________ C. _________________________
_____ 35. Deformation in this part of the Mississippi Valley area is an example of fault reactivation in which 500 million year
old faults are responding to new forces and relieving stress in the mid-continent of North America?
A. San Andreas Fault,
B. Mid-Atlantic Ridge, C. New Mexico Rift, or D. New Madrid Seismic Zone.
_____ 36. Which of the following is not one of the three main types of slip that can occur on a fault?
A. dip-slip, B. strike-slip, C. obtuse-slip, or D. oblique-slip.
_____________________ 37. What material is derived from the earth’s upper mantle and rarely transported to the surface by
explosive volcanic eruptions of kimberlites or lamproites? (hint-it is the hardest substance known to mankind).
_____ 38. Most of the heat flowing from the Earth’s mantle to the surface originates from:
A. gravitational energy left over from when the Earth formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago,
B. solar and lunar tides, C. radioactive decay of potassium, thorium and uranium in the Earth’s interior,
D. fusion of hydrogen in the Earth’s outer core, or E. cosmic rays left over from the Big Bang.
______ 39. What is the minimum number of seismic stations needed to determine an earthquake's epicenter?
______ 40. The point located at the surface directly above the earthquake focus of fault rupture is called the:
A. Isocenter, B. Hypocenter, C. Epicenter, D. Decicenter, E. Millicenter, or F. Megacenter .
______ 41. Which country has suffered the greatest number of earthquake deaths in the three centuries prior to 2000?
A. China,
B. Iran, C. Portugal, D. Japan, E. Italy, F. Indonesia, or G. USA.
_____ 42. Most deaths associated with Earthquakes in this decade (2000-2005) have been caused by what indirect hazard?
A. Fire,
B. Building collapse,
C. Tsunami,
D. Landslide, E. None of the Above.
____ 43. Moving away from a seafloor spreading center (perpendicular to the rift axis), the age of oceanic crust generally:
A. Increases, B. Decreases, C. Randomly varies, or D. Stays constant.
______ 44. What part of the world’s population now lives on or near an active volcano? A. 1%, B. 10%, C. 20%, or D. 30%.
______ 45. The Moho (Mohorovicic discontinuity) is one of the major boundaries within the Earth that separates the:
A. inner core and outer core, B. outer core and lower mantle, C. hydrosphere and atmosphere
D. upper mantle and lower crust, E. upper crust and atmosphere, or F. upper crust and lower crust.
______46. Most seismic energy is released in what type of plate boundary? A. Strike-Slip, B. Convergent, or C. Divergent.
_____47. What was the plate tectonic cause of the 26 Dec 2004 Great Sumatran Earthquake that killed ~300,000 people?
A. Strike-Slip Fault, B. Seafloor Spreading, C. Subduction Zone, D. Mantle Plume/Hot Spot.
______48. The average geothermal gradient within the Earth’s asthenosphere (<1 °C/km, 120-670 km below the surface) is
much less than in the overlying lithosphere (<20-30 °C/km) because heat is transferred within the asthenosphere by:
A. Convection; B. Radiation; C. Combustion;
D. Conduction, E. Radioactive decay of K, U, & Th.
?_________________49. What volcanic gas injected into the stratosphere causes global cooling of the Earth’s surface?
50. List 5 beneficial aspects of volcanoes:
EXTRA CREDIT (max 5 pts)
What was the single, most significant observation, phenomenon, or process you learned in this class?
(This is not a trick question but will be graded for creativity, grammar, and clarity. Whereas levity is fully acceptable, it will
not contribute to the grade, even if it causes uncontrolled laughter. Note limited space- be short and concise.)