EAPS 116 Midterm

Earthquakes in Hawaii are mostly related to _________ a. Movement of volcanic magma beneath the ground b. Strike-slip faulting along the Hawaiian islands transform fault

a

Faults on which the dominant forces are extensional are recognized by pulled apart rock layers a. normal faults b. thrust faults c. reverse faults d. Strike-slip faults

a

Most North American earthquakes occur in the west along the edges of the active plates, but the central and eastern regions also have earthquakes—not as many but just as large. a. True b. False

a

Most subduction zone earthquakes occur around the rim of the Pacific ocean or the northeastern Indian ocean a. True b. False

a

Moving into the core, P wave velocities gradually increase until a positive jump is reached at about a 5,150-km depth, suggesting that the inner core is solid. a. True b. False

a

Ocean ridge spreading still occurs offshore of northernmost California, Oregon, Washington, and southern British Columbia, as well as in the Gulf of California. a. True b. False

a

P waves can travel through _________ a. Solids, liquids, and gases b. Gases c. Solids d. Solids and liquids

a

Resonance can increase the duration buildings shake during an earthquake. a. True b. False

a

Seismic waves that travel only near Earth's surface are of two main types: _____ waves a. Love and Rayleigh b. P and rayleigh c. P and s d. P and shear

a

The 1985 Mexico City earthquake was caused by eastward subduction of a small plate, the Cocos Plate, beneath the North American Plate. a. True b. False

a

The New Madrid, Missouri, 1811-1812 earthquakes have never been equaled in the history of the United States for the number of closely-spaced, large seisms and for the size of the felt area. a. True b. False

a

The leading theory on the origin of the moon leads to the idea that the moon is composed of mantle. a. True b. False

a

Which of the following correctly lists the order of the layers from the surface of Earth toward the center? a. Lithosphere, asthenosphere, mesosphere, and the core b. Mantle, crust, core, and the asthenosphere c. Mesosphere, lithosphere, asthenosphere, and the core d. Asthenosphere, lithosphere, mesosphere, and the core e. Asthenosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and the core

a

Which of the following is not a divergent margin a. The Aleutian Islands of Alaska b. The East African rift c. The mid-Atlantic ridge d. The east pacific rise

a

Which plate is being subducted beneath western South America? a. The Nazca plate b. The South American plate c. The pacific plate d. The Eurasian plate

a

________ faults are commonly found at areas of plate convergence where subduction or continental collision occurs. a. Reverse b. Strike-slip c. Normal d. Transform

a

_________ is viewed in map view as the compass bearing of the rock layer where it intersects a horizontal plane. a. Strike b.Dip c. Fault d.Seismic graph

a

At present, the worldwide population of humans is growing at a rate of __________% per year. a. .12 b. 1.2 c. 12 d. .012

b

The ages of former volcanoes decrease with their distance from their parent hot spot a. True b. False

b

The ages of former volcanoes decrease with their distance from their parent's hot spot a. True b. False

b

The duration of strong ground shaking in the 1964 Alaskan Good Friday earthquake was 70 minutes. a. True b. False

b

The east coast of North America represents a ______ a. Convergent plate boundary b. The east coast of North America is not a plate boundary c. Transform plate boundary d. Divergent plate boundary

b

The largest moment magnitudes measured to date are from earthquakes that occurred at divergent boundaries a. True b. False

b

The point on Earth's surface directly above the point where the fault first ruptures is called the focus a. True b. False

b

The principle of uniformitarianism, developed by James Hutton, implies that________ a. All hot spots formed early in Earth's history b. Natural laws are uniform through time and space c. Geologic processes always occur at the same rate d.

b

The process of reinforcing existing buildings to increase their resistance to seismic shaking is known as ________ a. Destroying b. Retrofitting c. Intensifying d. Scaling

b

Transform faults have mostly vertical displacement rather than horizontal displacement a. True b. False

b

The Richter scale is set up so that for every_______ increase in the amplitude of the recorded seismic wave a.Hundred-fold b.Four-Fold c.Two-fold d. Ten-fold

d

The intensity of an earthquake is influenced by all but which of the following? a. Earthquake magnitude b. Duration of shaking c. distance from the hypocenter d. The current air pressure

d

The pacific plate is bounded by _______ plate boundaries a. Divergent b. Convergent c. Transform d. All of these

d

The reduction of ____ waves at the core-mantle boundary indicated that the outer core is mostly liquid a. Rayleigh b. Love c. P d. S

d

Which of the following increases with distance form a mid-ocean ridge? a. The depth to the sea floor b. The thickness of the lithosphere c. The age of oceanic lithosphere d. All of the above

d

______ waves travel only through solids a. P b. Compressional c. Surface d. S

d

The Charleston, South Carolina, earthquake of 1886 occurred along a seismic belt that may be related to _________________. a. tectonic stresses transmitted across the North American continent from California b. an ancient subduction zone beneath the Appalachian Mountains c. an adjacent oceanic fracture zone on the Atlantic seafloor d. canal building prior to the Civil War e. remnants of the African Plate attached to North America

c

The hot-spot-melting-through-lithosphere process forms lines of extinct volcanoes on the ocean floor, from youngest to oldest, __________. a. with random ages along the lines b. in a direction pointing toward the Sun c. pointing at 90 degrees to the direction of plate movement d. pointing in the opposite direction of plate movement e. pointing in the direction of plate movement

e

Which of the following does not have a significant convergent margin? a. Kamchatka b. Australian Plate c. South American Andes d. Caribbean Plate e. African Plate

e

A series of 5 moderate earthquakes moved northward up to the Calaveras Fault preceded both the large quakes of 1865 and 1868. a. True b. False

a

Aftershocks of the 1811-12 New Madrid, Missouri, earthquakes are still occurring today. a. True b. False

a

As much as 20% of the relative motion between the Pacific and North American Plates may be accommodated by the extensional stretching of the Basin and Range province, leaving numerous north-south-oriented mountain ranges separated by down-dropped, sediment-filled basins. a. True b. False

a

Choose the most likely outcome if the large ice sheet on Greenland was to completely melt. a. Greenland would slowly rise over thousands of years as isostatic rebound occurs. b. Greenland would slowly sink over thousands of years due to an isostatic adjustment. c. Greenland would rise hundreds of meters in just a few years as isostatic rebound occurs. d. Greenland would sink by hundreds of meters in just a few years due to an isostatic adjustment.

a

The modified Mercalli scale varies from ____ to _____ a. I to X b. 1 to 10 c. bad to worse d. 10 to 100

a

The movements at subduction zones and continent-continent collisions generate the largest tectonic earthquakes a. True b. False

a

The reduction of ______ waves at the core-mantle boundary indicates that the outer core is mostly liquid. a. S b. P c. Q

a

Where the frequencies of seismic waves match the natural vibration frequencies of local geology and buildings, destruction may be great. a. True b. False

a

Which of the following concepts best explains why a mass of low-density material in the mantle rises? a. Buoyancy b. Density c. Radiation d. Strain

a

__________ are the down-dropped areas in the middle of spreading-center domes that are being pulled apart. a. Rift valleys b. Horsts c. Junctions d. Gap holes e. Escape basins

a

__________ waves travel only through solids; on reaching liquid or gas, the wave energy is reflected back into rock or is converted to another form. a. S b. P c. Q

a

the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates results in a. The Himalayan thrust fault b. The Hawaiian islands c. The san Andreas fault d. Earthquake Lake, Montana

a

Earthquake magnitude scales such as the Richter scales assess the effects on people and buildings a. True b. False

b

Eastern US damages are experienced over a smaller area than for an equivalent-sized earthquake in California. a. True b. False

b

Historic earthquakes in the Rio Grande Rift area have had only small to moderate magnitudes, but the continental lithosphere continues to compress and shorten, thus presenting a real hazard for large earthquakes. a. True b. False

b

In igneous rocks such as granite, S waves travel about 1.7 times faster than P waves. a. True b. False

b

In seismology, wave ______ is the height of the wave above a starting point a. Period b. Amplitude c. Wavelength d. Frequency

b

In the areas of most rapid subduction, the down0going slab may produce earthquakes to a depth of 7,000KM a. True b. False

b

Seismograms are the machines that record the earthquake, and the record of the event is recorded on a seismograph a. True b. False

b

The _____ wave travels fastest and moves in a push-pull fashion of alternating pulses of compression (push) and extension (pull). a. S b. P c. Q

b

Three basic classes of collisions include all but which of the following? a. Continental plate versus continental plate b. Continental plate versus mantle plate c. Oceanic plate versus oceanic plate.

b

Thrust faults that do not reach the surface are called dark thrusts. a. True b. False

b

________ occurs when a building's period matches the period of passing seismic waves a. Interference b. Resonance c. Liquefaction d. Base isolation

b

At present, the world population of humans grows by about __________ million per year. a. .8 b. 8 c. 80 d. 800

c

Earthquakes are most commonly caused by ______________. a. undersea landslides b. volcanic activity c. sudden earth movements along faults d. meteorite impacts

c

Which of the following buildings would likely be the safest to be located in during an earthquake a. b. c. d.

A two-story wooden frame building

The Moon is thought to have formed __________. a. from material ejected during the t-tauri phase of the Sun's early history b. when an early massive supervolcano ejected materials into orbit around Earth c. after the impact of two comets somewhere between Earth and Venus d. after the impact of two protoplanets somewhere between Earth and Mars e. from material that coalesced after an impact between Earth and a Mars-sized object

e

Using the seismic gap method, scientists identify section "C" of a fault as a seismic gap. Which of the following possible answers correctly states what this means? a. The next major earthquake will occur in section "C" of the fault. b. The next major earthquake will likely occur in section "C" but it is not a guarantee. c. Section "C" is the least-likely section along this fault to have the next major earthquake. d. Section "C" will have the largest surface ruptures during the next earthquake along this fault. e. The next earthquake in section "C" is predicted to be rather weak.

b

When most of the movement along a fault is horizontal, the fault is referred to as a _______ fault a. Reverse b. Strike-slip c. Thrust d. Normal

b

Which state listed below is most likely to have a magnitude 9 or larger earthquake in the next several hundred years? a. Florida b. Washington c. Texas d. Wisconsin e. South Carolina

b

With compressional forces, the hanging wall moves downward relative to the footwall a. True b. False

b

The Lisbon earthquakes of 1755 are historically significant because ______________. a. it was the first time anyone had ever successfully predicted an earthquake b. the reconstruction efforts after the earthquakes stimulated the Portuguese economy, leading to a century of prosperity for the country c. they changed the prevailing philosophies of the era, producing a more pessimistic view of the world d. they resulted in more deaths than any other earthquake, before or after

c

The greatest earthquakes in the world occur... a. Because of humans b. Near mid-ocean ridges c. Near subduction zones d. At transform plate boundaries

c

The heat that transformed Earth early in its history came primarily from all but which of the following? a. impact energy b. gravitational energy c. dark energy d. the decay of radioactive elements

c

The new Madrid earthquakes are apparently related to an old buried____ a. Transform fault b. Subduction zone c. Rift zone d. Hazardous waste dump

c

Volcanic island arcs are associated with _________ a. Divergent plate boundaries b. Transform plate boundaries c. Ocean- ocean convergent plate boundaries d. Ocean - continent convergent plate boundaries

c

A normal fault occurs when the hanging wall moves ______ relative to the footwall a. To the left b. To the right c. Up d. Down

d

A triple junction is the point where __________. a. nine or more faults terminate b. three seismic gaps exist along the same fault c. latitude, longitude, and elevation data indicate where a hypocenter is located d. three tectonic plates touch e. an earthquake cluster is centered

d

At what type of plate boundary do shallow-focus earthquakes occur? a. Divergent boundary b. Transform boundary c.Convergent boundary d. All of these

d

California accounts for _______ of all U.S. earthquakes of magnitude 3.5 and above. a. 82% b. 64% c. 57% d. 23% e. 7%

d

Faults on which the dominant forces are extensional are recognized by the separation of the pulled-apart rock layers in a zone of omission; these are __________. a. reverse faults b. thrust faults c. strike-slip faults d. normal faults

d

In 1985, because of the Michoacan earthquake many buildings collapsed and killed about 8,000 people in Mexico City, even though the city lies 350 miles from the epicenter. All but which of the following caused this? a. Resonance between seismic waves b. Soft lake-sediment foundations c. Improperly designed buildings d. Collapse of thousands of single-story frame houses

d

On 9 January 1857, the San Andreas fault segment between Cholame and San Bernardino broke loose at its northwestern end, and the rupture propagated southeastward in the great __________ earthquake with a magnitude of about 7.9. a. San Francisco b. Loma Prieta c. Owens Valley d. Fort Tejon e. Hebgen Lake

d