EES
Classwork- 10 points
Earthquakes
Name: ______________________
Earthquake Scavenger Hunt:
Using the web, your book, and any other references you can find, please answer the
following questions. Below are a few earthquake sites you might want to visit. Also, you
may use search engines like Google and Askjeeves, but be sure you are getting your
information from a reputable website.
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USGS Earthquake Info: http://quake.usgs.gov/
National Earthquake Information Center:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/neic/
World Wide Earthquake Locator:
http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/quakexe/quakes
Center for Earthquake Research and Information
http://www.ceri.memphis.edu/
Indiana University Earthquake Science Institute
http://www.indiana.edu/~pepp/
1. When was the last earthquake recorded for California? Where was it and what was its
magnitude? http://quake.usgs.gov/
2. Using the same site from question 1, when was the most recent earthquake over a 6.0
on the richter scale? Where was it and what was the exact magnitude?
3. When and where was the “biggest” earthquake (highest magnitude) ever felt? What
was it’s magnitude?
4. How many earthquakes happen every month? Day? Minute? (hint: check out
www.ceri.memphis.edu/public/follies.shtml)
5. When was the richter scale invented and how do earthquakes of different magnitude
compare on it (How does a 5.0 compare to a 6.0)?
6. What does the Mercalli scale tell you about earthquakes?
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/topics/mercalli.php
EES
Classwork- 10 points
Earthquakes
Name: ______________________
7. Using the USGS website http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/year/eqstats.php),
a. What year in the last decade had the most worldwide earthquakes?
b. Which year had the most worldwide earthquake related deaths?
c. Which year had the most earthquakes in the U.S.?
d. When was the last earthquake in the U.S. above a 7.0 in magnitude?
e. Why do you think there have been so few earthquake related deaths in the U.S.
in the past decade?
8.
If there are no plate boundaries near Vermont, why do we have earthquakes in New England
(http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/index.php?regionID=45)?
9.
What’s the deal with the New Madrid, Missouri earthquake? When did it happen? How big
was it? Why was it such a big deal?
10. Can earthquakes be predicted? Explain. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/topics/?topicID=53
11. What are some of the major causes of damage from an earthquake?
http://www.olympus.net/personal/gofamily/quake/effects.html