Chapter 15 – Earthquakes - Review Questions

  1. What is the theory that explains earthquakes?

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  2. How does this theory give an explanation of how an earthquake occurs?

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  3. What is the relationship between earthquake, stress, and plate tectonics?

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  4. Explain the difference between an epicenter and the focus of the earthquake?

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  5. What is the significance of the epicenter and focus?

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  6. At what type of boundaries are earthquakes related (found)?

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  7. Why are shallow depth earthquakes the most common?

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  8. At what type of boundary do deep earthquakes occur? What is the reason for this?

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  9. An earthquake is a release in stress. How is this release in stress transmitted through the crust?

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  10. What are the three types of wave motions?

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  11. What type of material can each wave travel through?

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  12. At what velocity does each wave travel (how fast)?

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  13. What motion does each wave make as it travels?

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  14. How does each wave motion affect the motion of the crust?

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  15. What is the difference between a seismograph and a seismogram?

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  16. What do scientists use seismographs and seismograms for?

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  17. What is the importance of time-travel graph?

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  18. What information would you need to acquire in order to determine the location of the epicenter of an earthquake?

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  19. Why would we want to know the location of the epicenter?

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  20. Explain the difference between the Richter scale and seismic moment.

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  21. Are we able to predict when, where, and at what magnitude an earthquake will occur? Why or why not?

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  22. How are seismic waves used to determine the composition of the earth’s interior?

 

 

 

 

 

23. What is the shadow zone of an earthquake, and how is one produced?