Earth and Environmental Science
23. What are the top four earthquakes ever recorded? Know the locations, dates, and magnitudes.
a. Chile 1960 M 9.5 b. Alaska 1964 M 9.2 c. Andaman Sea 2004 M 9.1 d. Japan 2011 M 9.0
13. Who discovered each of the layers of the Earth?
a. Crust-mantle boundary - Mohorovic b. Core-mantle boundary - Gutenberg c. Inner core/outer boundary- Lehman
26. What is the relationship between earthquakes and plate boundaries? i.e. what types of faults occur at each boundary?
a. Divergent- normal faults M 5-6 b. Convergent- reverse faults M 8+ C. Transform boundaries- strike slip fault M 6-8
29. What types of stress are associated with each type of fault?
a. Normal Faults- tensional stress b. Reverse Faults- compressional c. Strike Slip- shear
8. What is the minimum number of seismograph stations needed to locate the epicenter of an earthquake?
3
4. How thick is the crust?
5-80km
2. What is the approximate distance from the surface to the center of the Earth?
6400
9. The energy released during a magnitude 8 earthquake is approximately times greater than the energy released during a magnitude 6 earthquake.
900
5. The partially molten layer beneath the lithosphere is called the
Asthenosphere
18. Which foundation material is most stable during earthquake shaking?
Bedrock
34. Who designed the first seismometer?
Chinese
32. Know the difference between ductile and brittle deformation
Ductile deformation- "folds" or "bends" rock Brittle deformation- breaks = faults
28. Why is there an area of "creep" along the San Andreas Fault? Hint: Remember the video and the drilling results.
Due to the presence of Serpenite which alters talc.
31. What is an anticline? Why are they important?
Fold that is oriented concave down; tend to be reservoirs for petroleum; in the valley Coalinga anticline.
15. What is the importance of the outer core?
Fuels magnetic field around earth
33. What is a seismic profile? How are they created?
Image of the subsurface; created using shock waves and geographs.
39. Why are the Himalaya Mountains so high?
India crashed into Eurasia and is continuing to push into the continent.
16. Which region in the Earth consists primarily of solid iron?
Inner Core
6. What element makes up most of the Earth's core?
Iron
17. In which region of the Earth does convection take place?
Mantle
11. What is a dip-slip fault?
Normal and Reverse faults; fault plane dips into crust
10. How well can scientists predict earthquakes?
Not well; within seconds at best
3. Which layer in the Earth does not transmit S-waves?
Outer Core
14. Which region in the Earth is molten?
Outter Core
7. Which of the following types of seismic waves arrive at a seismometer first?
P-waves
12. What was Andrija Mohorovicic's major contribution to geology?
Provided 1st evidence that the earth interior was layered
25. What are reflected and refracted waves?
Reflected waves "bounce" back; refracted waves bend
19. The magnitude scale is a measure of the energy released. It does not directly measure the extent of building damage.
Richter
35. What is the difference between Richter Magnitude, Moment Magnitude, and the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (MMI)?
Richter uses wave amplitude and distance from epicenter to calculate mag; Moment magnitude uses rock properties and fault rupture area; MMI based on observations or structural response
27. What kind of fault is the San Andreas Fault? How large of an earthquake (magnitude) can the San Andreas produce?
Right Lateral strike slip fault; M 7-8
1. How do we know about the earth's interior?
Seismic Waves
30. What types of things occur during an earthquake?
Shaking, ground rupture, fire, tsunamis, liquefaction
21. Given that the epicenter was more than 200 miles away, why was there such massive damage during the Mexico City earthquake?
Subsurface geology
24. What is the S-wave shadow zone?
Where no S-waves are detected
