Earthquakes: Unpredictable Forces of Nature
  • 1. What causes an earthquake?
A) Hurricanes
B) Volcanic eruptions
C) Tsunamis
D) The movement of tectonic plates
  • 2. Which scale is used to measure the magnitude of earthquakes?
A) Beaufort scale
B) Saffir-Simpson scale
C) Richter scale
D) Fujita scale
  • 3. What is the point on the Earth's surface directly above the earthquake's origin called?
A) Epicenter
B) Seismometer
C) Focus
D) Plate boundary
  • 4. What is the most common instrument used to detect earthquakes?
A) Seismometer
B) Barometer
C) Spectroscope
D) Thermometer
  • 5. What is a seismogram?
A) A type of seismic wave
B) A sensor for volcanic activity
C) A tool used to predict earthquakes
D) A record of ground motion detected by a seismometer
  • 6. What emergency procedure should you follow during an earthquake?
A) Drop, cover, and hold on
B) Stand in a doorway
C) Ignore the shaking and continue activities
D) Run outside the building immediately
  • 7. What do you call a large undersea earthquake that generates a tsunami?
A) Megathrust earthquake
B) Megaquake
C) Supershear earthquake
D) Cataclysmic quake
  • 8. In which layer of the Earth do earthquakes typically occur?
A) Inner core
B) Outer core
C) Crust
D) Mantle
  • 9. Which city was devastated by a major earthquake and fire in 1906?
A) Chicago
B) Los Angeles
C) San Francisco
D) New York City
  • 10. What is the study of past earthquakes to determine patterns and potential future events called?
A) Climatology
B) Vulcanology
C) Astrogeology
D) Paleoseismology
  • 11. What is the term for the sudden shaking of the ground caused by a sudden slip on a fault?
A) Seiche
B) Tremor
C) Earthquake
D) Aftershock
  • 12. What is a surface wave that produces both vertical and horizontal ground motion called?
A) Rayleigh wave
B) P-wave
C) Tsunami
D) Love wave
  • 13. What is the largest earthquake ever recorded on Earth?
A) 1906 San Francisco earthquake
B) 2011 Japan earthquake
C) 1960 Valdivia earthquake
D) 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
  • 14. Which type of fault results in the hanging wall moving up relative to the footwall?
A) Normal fault
B) Strike-slip fault
C) Reverse fault
D) Thrust fault
  • 15. What is the term for a sudden rise of the sea level caused by an underwater earthquake?
A) Riptide
B) Tsunami
C) Whirlpool
D) Swell
  • 16. What is the minimum number of seismometers needed to locate the epicenter of an earthquake?
A) 5
B) 1
C) 3
D) 10
  • 17. How do scientists categorize the size of an earthquake?
A) Intensity
B) Pressure
C) Magnitude
D) Speed
  • 18. Which country experiences the most earthquakes of any size?
A) Mexico
B) Japan
C) China
D) United States
  • 19. Which instrument is used to measure earthquakes?
A) Barometer
B) Seismograph
C) Spectrometer
D) Thermometer
  • 20. What is the term for a smaller earthquake that follows the main shock of a larger earthquake?
A) Foreshock
B) Shockwave
C) Tremor
D) Aftershock
  • 21. What are the slow, continuous movements of the Earth's crust that are often too small to be felt called?
A) Shuffle
B) Creep
C) Jump
D) Slide
  • 22. What is the term for the study and analysis of earthquakes and seismic waves?
A) Seismology
B) Geology
C) Oceanography
D) Meteorology
  • 23. What is the term for the measure of shaking and damage caused by an earthquake at a specific location?
A) Frequency
B) Magnitude
C) Intensity
D) Amplitude
  • 24. Which type of seismic wave is the fastest and arrives at a location first during an earthquake?
A) S-wave
B) Surface wave
C) Love wave
D) P-wave
  • 25. What is the name for the phenomenon where soil and rock particles temporarily lose their strength during an earthquake?
A) Solidification
B) Petrification
C) Crystallization
D) Liquefaction
  • 26. Which famous ancient city was destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in 79 AD?
A) Pompeii
B) Babylon
C) Athens
D) Jerusalem
  • 27. The San Andreas Fault is located in which state?
A) Hawaii
B) California
C) Arizona
D) Alaska
  • 28. What is the name for the phenomenon where an earthquake's energy spreads out and reduces in intensity as it travels through the Earth?
A) Redistribution
B) Erosion
C) Propagation
D) Attenuation
  • 29. The point within the Earth's crust where an earthquake originates is called the:
A) Epicenter
B) Hypocenter
C) Seismic zone
D) Tectonic point
  • 30. Which seismic waves are responsible for the most damage during an earthquake?
A) S waves
B) Love waves
C) P waves
D) Surface waves
  • 31. Which type of building construction is more resistant to earthquake damage?
A) Adobe
B) Reinforced concrete
C) Wood frame
D) Brick masonry
  • 32. Seismic waves that travel within the Earth are called:
A) Surface waves
B) Rayleigh waves
C) Love waves
D) Body waves
  • 33. The Cascadia Subduction Zone, known for its potential to generate large earthquakes and tsunamis, is located along the coast of which continent?
A) Europe
B) Australia
C) North America
D) Asia
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