Chapter 5, Earthquakes and Earth\'s interior PDF

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Multiple choice questions from the textbook assignments on Pearson with the correct answers bolded. ...

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1. What are the two primary types of waves generated by earthquakes? A) horizontal surface waves and vertical surface waves B) P waves and S waves C) S waves and body waves D) horizontal surface waves and surface waves E) surface waves and body waves 2. Name two types of body waves. A) horizontal surface waves and vertical surface waves B) P waves and vertical surface waves C) S waves and vertical surface waves D) P waves and S waves E) P waves and horizontal surface waves 3. Where do body waves and surface waves travel? A) Neither body waves nor surface waves travel within Earth or along Earth's surface. B) Body waves travel within Earth, and surface waves travel along Earth's surface. C) Surface waves travel within Earth, and body waves travel along Earth's surface. D) Body waves and surface waves both travel within Earth and along Earth's surface. 4. What do vertical and horizontal surface waves have in common? A) Both waves travel within Earth and increase in amplitude with depth below the surface. B) Both waves travel within Earth and decrease in amplitude with depth below the surface. C) Both waves travel along Earth's surface and decrease in amplitude with depth below the surface. D) Both waves travel along Earth's surface and increase in amplitude with depth below the surface. 5. How do rocks within Earth change as P waves pass? A) Rocks within Earth contract as P waves pass. B) Rocks within Earth neither expand nor contract as P waves pass. C) Rocks within Earth both expand and contract as P waves pass. D) Rocks within Earth expand as P waves pass. 6. How does rock within Earth change as S waves pass? A) Rocks within Earth are displaced up as S waves pass. B) Rocks within Earth are displaced up and down as S waves pass. C) Rocks within Earth are displaced neither up nor down as S waves pass. E) Rocks within Earth are displaced down as S waves pass. 7. How are S waves and vertical surface waves different? A) S waves are body waves, whereas vertical surface waves are surface waves. The amplitude of S waves does not decrease with depth, but the amplitude of vertical surface waves does decrease with depth.

B) S waves are surface waves, whereas vertical surface waves are body waves. The amplitude of S waves decreases with depth while the amplitude of vertical surface waves does not decrease with depth. C) S waves are body waves, whereas vertical surface waves are surface waves. The amplitude of S waves decreases with depth, but the amplitude of vertical surface waves does not decrease with depth. D) S waves are surface waves, whereas vertical surface waves are body waves. The amplitude of S waves does not decrease with depth, but the amplitude of vertical surface waves does decrease with depth. 8. Use one of the following five terms to fill in the blank for the question below:________ makes up the largest proportion of Earth by volume. A) Continental crust B) Asthenosphere C) Mantle D) Lithosphere E) Oceanic crust 9. In the open ocean, tsunamis travel at about the same speed as a ________. A) cheetah running B) commercial airliner C) person walking at an average pace D) vehicle on the interstate 10. What causes an earthquake? A) Earthquakes result from tsunamis. B) Earthquakes result from landslides. C) Earthquakes result from liquefaction. D) Earthquakes result from ground shaking. E) Earthquakes result when a block of rock rapidly slips past another along a fault plane. 11. What are the major zones of Earth's interior? A) Lithosphere and asthenosphere B) Crust, mantle, and core C) Continents and seafloor D) Oceanic crust and continental crust E) Lower mantle, outer core, and inner core 12. The upper part of the ________ has the approximate composition of peridotite. A) continental crust B) asthenosphere C) mantle D) lithosphere E) oceanic crust

13. The location of earthquake epicenters closely correlates with the ____________. A) edges of the continents B) closeness to the equator C) rock type D) fault type E) edges of the plates 14. Large megathrust earthquakes in the mountainous regions flanking the Mediterranean sea are generally due to ________. A) the collision of the African Plate with Eurasia B) the collision of the African Plate with Southeast Asia C) the collision of the Indian Plate with Southeast Asia D) the collision of the Indian Plate with Eurasia 15. Liquifaction, where normally solid material behaves more like a fluid during an earthquake, occurs because ________. A) friction from the vibrations melt rock and produce magmas B) cracking in the rocks allows fluids to flow into the area and increase the amount of liquids in the subsurface C) rock particles dissolve and mix with the fluids in the subsurface to become a liquid D) pore spaces between particles in unconsolidated sediments close and displace fluids 16. When an earthquake occurs, energy radiates in all directions from its source. The source is also referred to as the ________. A) epicenter B) focus C) seismic zone D) inertial point 17. Which of the following is determined by measuring the amplitude of waves recorded from an earthquake? A) focus or hypocenter B) epicenter C) magnitude D) intensity 18. In elastic rebound theory, what must occur to produce an earthquake? A) Rocks must break in order to produce slip on a fault. B) Tidal forces need to be at a maximum to increase the energy applied to the fault. C) The ground needs to absorb enough water to lubricate the surface of the fault. D) Enough stress must build up over time on a fault to overcome friction

19. Most earthquakes occur along ________ plate boundaries. A) divergent B) transform C) convergent D) hot spot 20. A seismograph works because there is a ________. A) liquid medium in the instrument allowing only P waves to pass through B) rotating paper drum that causes mini-earthquakes C) vertical ground motion causing the pen to move D) suspended weight that moves independently of Earth 21. Earthquake prediction is ________. A) somewhat good for very long term statistical analyses based on ideas like mapping seismic gaps B) generally good if you live in an area along a plate boundary because we know how fast the plates are moving and can measure the stress accumulation C) not possible D) possible for short times before some earthquakes based on things like animal behavior, but the U.S. does not make use of this method. 22. A tsunami can occur ________. A) when an earthquake occurs in the seafloor like along an oceanic plate boundary B) when an explosive volcanic eruption occurs in someplace like Hawaii or Alaska C) any time there is an earthquake anywhere D) when an earthquake occurs along a coastline like in Japan or Indonesia E) All of the above are correct. 23. The deepest well that has ever been drilled on the earth is ________ deep, about 1/500th of the radius of the earth. A) 40.5 km B) 12.3 km C) 20.7 km D) 31.4 km 24. What is a tsunami wave? A) Waves that shake the material at right angles to their direction of travel B) Massive ocean waves usually triggered by underwater earthquakes C) Waves that push and pull the material in the direction the wave is traveling D) Waves that travel within Earth E) Waves that travel along the outer part of Earth 25. Approximately how much more energy is released in a 6.5 Richter magnitude earthquake than in one with a Richter magnitude of 5.5?

A) 2 B) e (2.71828...) C) 10 D) 32 26. If you are on a beach, you might recognize that a tsunami is approaching because ________. A) the water will run up on the beach farther than usual B) waves will gradually get closer together and approach the beach faster than normal C) waves will gradually get higher and higher as the tsunami approaches D) the water will withdraw from the beach farther than usual 27. Major earthquakes are often followed by somewhat smaller events known as ________. A) foreshocks B) hyposhocks C) aftershocks D) tremors 28. How are tsunamis generated? A) through displacement of the seafloor under water B) through displacement of the seafloor above water C) through creation of the seafloor under water D) through creation of the seafloor above water 29. What is a tsunami? A) a series of water waves that travel away from a fault in all directions at high speed B) a series of water waves that travel toward a fault in all directions at high speed C) a series of water waves that travel away from a fault in all directions at low speed D) a series of water waves that travel toward a fault in all directions at low speed 30. Why do ships at sea tend not to notice tsunamis? A) Tsunamis in deep water have small wave height and short wavelength. B) Tsunamis in deep water have large wave height and long wavelength. C) Tsunamis in deep water have large wave height and short wavelength. D) Tsunamis in deep water have small wave height and long wavelength. 31. Why does the wave height of a tsunami increase as the tsunami enters shallow water? A) In shallow water, the wind driving the tsunami must push a smaller water column. B) In shallow water, the energy of the tsunami must be contained within a smaller water column. C) In shallow water, the energy of the tsunami must be contained within a larger water column. D) In shallow water, the wind driving the tsunami must push a larger water column. 32. What type of plate boundary are most tsunamis associated with? A) divergent plate boundaries

B) transform plate boundaries C) convergent plate boundaries 33. Which ocean is associated with most tsunamis? A) Indian Ocean B) Arctic Ocean C) Pacific Ocean D) Atlantic Ocean 34. Will Sumatra experience another tsunami like the destructive one of December 2004? A) This is likely, because Sumatra is near many ocean trenches. B) This is likely, because Sumatra is in the Pacific Ocean. C) This is unlikely, because Sumatra is in the Pacific Ocean. D) This is unlikely, because Sumatra is near many ocean trenches. 35. Which of the following best describes liquefaction? A) the ability of rocks to retain to their original shape after an earthquake B) geysers of sand and water that shoot from the ground when an earthquake occurs C) the amplification of seismic waves by soft sediments D) the transformation of stable soil into loose, liquefied material that is able to rise toward Earth's surface 36. Describe how sand volcanoes form. A) Sand volcanoes form when loose sediments slide downslope on a relatively slippery clay layer during an earthquake. B) An earthquake causes loose, saturated sandy material to liquefy, shoot upward through fractures of a confining unit, and eventually erupt at the surface. C) An opening in the surface that ejects water and sand, but is not caused by earthquake activity. D) An earthquake causes fractures to form, creating conduits for geothermal waters to erupt as geysers at the surface. E) The transformation of stable, sandy sediment into loose, liquefied material. 37. Structures built on __________ will become unstable during an earthquake. A) cohesive sediments B) loose, saturated sediments C) bedrock D) cemented sediments E) tightly packed sediments 38. The Richter magnitude of an earthquake is determined from the ________. A) duration of the earthquake B) amplitude of the largest seismic wave C) intensity of the earthquake D) arrival time of P and S waves

39. ________ have the highest velocities A) Refracted S-waves B) Secondary waves (S-waves) C) Surface waves D) Primary waves (P-waves) 40. The ocean ridge systems that make up the major divergent plate boundaries are a source of frequent ________. A) tsunamis B) major earthquakes C) landslides D) small earthquakes 41. In North America the highest potential for large tsunamis is in the coastal regions of ________. A) the Pacific Coast and Hawaii B) the eastern seaboard C) the Hudson Bay D) Louisiana 42. On a typical seismogram, ________ will show the highest amplitudes. A) P waves B) surface waves C) S waves D) body waves 43. Megathrusts between subducting oceanic crust and an overriding plate are a potential source of tsunamis because ________. A) the earthquakes on these faults are underwater and could release large amounts of water from the asthenosphere B) the earthquakes on these faults are underwater and could displace large amounts of water from the oceans C) oceanic crust is "thrust" over the continent along a megathrust so that forces the land downward producing a tsunami D) one side of the fault is on land and the other is underwater so an earthquake could cause a landslide or tsunami depending on which side moved 44. An earthquake magnitude scale is a measure of ________. A) ground shaking B) energy released C) speed of wave travel D) building damage

45. The earliest seismographs were designed by the Chinese nearly 2000 years ago to measure ________. A) the direction to the earthquake focus B) the magnitude of an earthquake C) the depth of an earthquake focus D) the intensity of an earthquake 46. __________ in the sandy layer causes the ground to subside after sand volcanoes form. A) Eruption of all material B) Water moving downward C) Tighter packing D) Seismic wave amplification E) Confining layer injection downward 47. In the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, much of the damage was due to fires because ________. A) a cow kicked over a lantern in a barn and started the fires B) the shaking caused gas lines to rupture everywhere and these ignited to cause huge fire storms in the city C) electric power lines fell and caused sparks that started fires D) water lines were badly damage so that firemen could not put out the fires 48. The Mercalli Scale is a scale from ________. A) I to X that rates the total energy released during the main quake and all aftershocks B) 1 to 12 that rates the energy required for faulting to occur C) 1 to 10 that rates the energy released by an earthquake D) I to XII that rates the structural damage due to an earthquake 49. Why is the Moment magnitude scale favored over the Richter magnitude scale? A) The Moment magnitude measures the total energy released by an earthquake. B) The Richter magnitude is based on older models of seismographs that are no longer used to record earthquakes. C) The moment magnitude carries the calculated values out to more decimal places so it is more precise. D) The Richter magnitude always underestimates the amount of energy released by an earthquake. 50. Earthquakes result from the ________ release of elastic energy previously stored in rocks surrounding a zone of ________ movement. A) rapid; fault B) rapid; wave C) slow; wave D) slow; fault

51. Use one of the following five terms to fill in the blank for the question below:________ averages 35 to 40 km in thickness. A) Continental crust B) Asthenosphere C) Mantle D) Lithosphere E) Oceanic crust

52. Earthquakes with a Richter magnitude of less than ______ are generally not felt by humans. A) 7.0 B) 5.5 C) 2.0 D) 8.0 E) 3.5 53. The ________ of an earthquake is on the surface of the Earth directly above the focus. A) seismic gap B) epicenter C) seismogram D) P wave 54. During the Alaskan earthquake of 1964, the buildings that survived the best were made of ________. A) mud B) wood C) stone D) brick 55. Use one of the following five terms to fill in the blank for the question below:________ is the rigid, cool outer approximately 100 km of the earth. A) Continental crust B) Asthenosphere C) Mantle D) Lithosphere E) Oceanic crust 56. Structural damage from seismic vibrations would be worse ________. A) where older buildings were built on a thick layer of sediment B) where the focus is about 800 kilometers below the surface C) where buildings were built to code on solid rock D) where buildings are made mostly of wood

57. Oceanic crust is composed primarily of ________. A) andesite B) basalt C) granite D) sandstone 58. What is a seismograph? A) an instrument used to record earthquake waves B) an instrument used to analyze earthquake waves C) an instrument used to predict earthquake waves D) an instrument used to create earthquake waves 59. What is the underlying principle of seismograph construction? A) A moving box containing a heavy weight needs to overcome inertia, resulting in a slight delay in the motion of the weight after the box moves. B) A heavy weight suspended within a moving box needs to overcome inertia, resulting in a slight delay in the motion of the box after the weight moves. C) A moving box containing a heavy weight needs to overcome inertia, resulting in a slight delay in the motion of the box after the weight moves. D) A heavy weight suspended within a moving box needs to overcome inertia, resulting in a slight delay in the motion of the weight after the box moves. 60. When will the first earthquake waves arrive at a seismograph station? A) at the same time that an earthquake occurs B) a short time before the earthquake occurs C) a short time after the earthquake occurs 61. How long does it typically take for the first earthquake waves to arrive at a seismograph that is some distance away from the epicenter after the earthquake occurs A) several minutes B) several days C) several hours D) several seconds 62. Long term earthquake prediction is based on ________. A) measurements of strain accumulation B) the assumption that large faults break in a cyclical manner, meaning that they tend to occur over and over again in the same places through time C) measurements of the plate motions and rate of stress accumulation D) observations of things like animal behavior, radon gas emissions, and changes in topography 63. Which one of the following statements is correct? A) P waves travel through solids; S waves do not. B) P and S waves travel through liquids, but P waves do not travel through solids.

C) P and S waves travel through solids and P waves travel through liquids. D) P and S waves travel through liquids, but S waves do not travel through solids. 64. Felt earthquakes usually last for ________. A) 1 to 10 minutes B) 1 to 10 seconds C) 10 to 60 seconds D) less than 1 second (they are instantaneous) 65. Overall, this type of seismic wave is the most destructive. A) surface wave B) P wave C) S wave D) tsunami 66. Which of the following best describes the general relationship between the velocity of seismic waves and depth in Earth? A) There is no relationship between depth in Earth and velocity of seismic waves. B) The velocity of seismic waves generally decreases with depth. C) The velocity of seismic waves generally increases with depth. D) The velocity of seismic waves is the same until they reach the outer core, where they speed up. 67. Which of the following best describes where the velocity of body waves should be fastest and where the velocity of body waves should be slowest within Earth's interior? A) In general, body (P) waves would travel fastest in the outer core and slowest in the mantle. B) In general, body (P) waves would travel fastest in the asthenosphere and slowest in the lithosphere. C) In general, body (P) waves would travel fastest in the crust and slowest in the mantle. D) In general, body (P) waves would travel fastest in the inner core and slowest in the outer core. 68. Which of the following is not a way that seismic waves travel in the earth? A) reflection B) diffraction C) refraction D) diffusion 69. The earth's major layers formed because ________. A) the earth's mantle grew like a crystal forming around the earth's core but the crust was exposed to space and stayed more like the original material B) radioactive decay caused materials to change over time and resulted in the layering C) the earth was heated after its formation resulting in melting and redistribution of major chemical compositions D) the chemical composition of the solar nebula changed over time

70. There are ________ earthquakes around the world every day. A) ten or twenty B) thousands C) one or two D) hundreds 71. The 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan killed approximately 21,000 people while the 2010 earthquake in Haiti killed approximately 316,000 people because ________. A) the population of Haiti was much greater than that of northern Japan where the earthquake occurred B) the earthquake in Haiti was a larger magnitude (released more energy) than the one in Japan C) the earthquake in Haiti generated a very large tsunam...