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Earthquakes
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Test your knowledge of the most powerful earthquakes to ever hit the planet and their effects.
Which type of seismic wave travels through the Earth's interior?
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Body Waves
Which type of fault is characterized by horizontal movement?
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Strike-Slip Fault
Which type of fault is associated with subduction zones?
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Thrust Fault
What is the term for the bending or warping of rock layers due to stress?
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Deformation
What is the name of the largest fault system in California?
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San Andreas Fault
What is the name of the boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving apart from each other?
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Divergent boundary
What is the term for a large ocean wave caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption?
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Tsunami
What is the term for the gradual sinking of land due to subsidence or compaction?
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Land subsidence
What is the term for the maximum amplitude of ground motion during an earthquake?
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Peak Ground Acceleration
What is the term for the area below the Earth's surface where an earthquake originates?
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Hypocenter
What is the name of the instrument used to detect and record seismic waves?
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Seismograph
What is the point within the Earth where an earthquake originates called?
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Hypocenter
What is the name of the type of wave that moves particles parallel to the direction of wave travel?
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Longitudinal Wave
What is the term for the transfer of heat by the movement of fluids, such as magma or water?
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Convection
Which type of seismic wave causes the most shaking on the Earth's surface?
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Surface Waves
What is the name of the type of rock that forms from solidified lava?
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Volcanic Rock
What is the name of the type of fault where the rocks on either side slide past each other horizontally?
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Strike-slip fault
What is the name of the type of fault where the hanging wall moves downward relative to the footwall?
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Normal fault
What is the term for the time interval between successive earthquakes on a particular fault?
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Recurrence Interval
What is the name of the type of wave that moves particles up and down in a vertical motion?
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Secondary Wave (S-Wave)
What is the name of the type of wave that moves particles side to side in a horizontal motion?
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Love Wave
What is the name of the process by which tectonic plates collide and one plate is forced beneath the other?
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Subduction
What is the name of the type of wave that moves particles in both longitudinal and transverse directions?
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Rayleigh Wave
Which type of seismic wave travels fastest through the Earth's interior?
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Primary waves (P-waves)
Which fault line caused the 1906 San Francisco earthquake?
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San Andreas Fault
What is the name of the famous fault line in California that is responsible for many earthquakes?
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San Andreas Fault
Which country experiences the most earthquakes each year?
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Japan
What is the term for the rate at which stress accumulates along a fault?
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Slip Rate
What is the name of the scale used to measure the intensity of earthquakes?
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Richter Scale
What is the name of the process where magma rises to the Earth's surface and forms a volcano?
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Volcanism
What type of rock is most susceptible to liquefaction during an earthquake?
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Saturated Sand
Which type of seismic wave has the highest velocity?
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P-Wave
What is the name of the type of seismic wave that causes the most damage to buildings?
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Surface waves
What is the term for the process by which sediment is transported and deposited by wind, water, or ice?
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Transportation
What is the minimum number of seismograph stations needed to determine the location of an earthquake epicenter?
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3
What is the term for a sudden movement along a fault that releases energy in the form of seismic waves?
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Earthquake
Which type of plate boundary is most commonly associated with earthquakes?
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Transform Boundary
What is the term for the smallest earthquake that can be felt by humans?
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Microearthquake
Which country experiences the most earthquakes each year?
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Japan
What is the minimum number of seismographs needed to locate the epicenter of an earthquake?
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Three
What is the term for the shaking or trembling of the ground caused by seismic waves?
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Vibration
What is the name of the large ocean wave caused by an earthquake?
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Tsunami
What is the minimum magnitude required for an earthquake to cause damage to buildings and infrastructure?
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5.0
What is the term for the point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake?
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Epicenter
What is the name of the type of seismic wave that causes particles to move back and forth parallel to the direction of wave travel?
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Primary waves (P-waves)
What is the name of the scale used to measure the magnitude of an earthquake?
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Richter Scale
Which type of seismic wave can travel through both solid and liquid materials?
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P-Wave
Which type of seismic wave cannot travel through the Earth's outer core?
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S-Wave
What is the term for the study of earthquakes?
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Seismology
What is the name of the type of fault where the rocks on either side are pushed together and up?
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Thrust fault
What is the term for the point within the Earth where an earthquake originates?
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Hypocenter
Which layer of the Earth do earthquakes occur in?
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Lithosphere
What is the name of the theory that explains how tectonic plates move and interact with each other?
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Plate Tectonics
What is the name of the boundary where two tectonic plates move away from each other?
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Divergent Boundary
Which type of seismic wave causes the most damage to buildings and infrastructure?
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Surface Wave
What is the term for the area above the focus of an earthquake?
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Epicenter
What is the process by which energy is released during an earthquake?
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Elastic Rebound Theory
What is the term for the amount of energy released during an earthquake?
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Seismic Moment
What is the term for the process by which rocks are broken down into smaller pieces by physical or chemical means?
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Weathering
What is the name of the instrument used to measure ground motion during an earthquake?
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Accelerometer
What is the name of the type of wave that moves particles back and forth in a straight line?
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Primary Wave (P-Wave)
Which type of seismic wave causes the least amount of ground shaking?
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P-Wave
What is the term for the sudden movement of one side of a fault relative to the other?
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Fault Slip
What is the point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake called?
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Epicenter
What is the name of the type of fault where the hanging wall moves upward relative to the footwall?
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Reverse fault
Which type of fault results from compressional stress?
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Reverse Fault
What is the term for the gradual accumulation of stress along a fault?
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Strain Buildup
What is the name of the device used to measure seismic waves?
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Seismograph
What is the term for the slow, continuous movement along a fault?
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Fault Creep
Which type of fault results from tensional stress?
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Normal Fault
What is the name of the type of wave that moves particles in a circular motion?
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Rayleigh Wave
What is the name of the type of wave that moves along the surface of the Earth?
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Surface Wave
What is the name of the fault line that runs through the middle of the Atlantic Ocean?
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Mid-Atlantic Ridge
What is the term for a small earthquake that follows a larger one?
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Aftershock
Which country experiences the most earthquakes annually?
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Japan
Which type of fault occurs when rocks are pushed together by compression forces?
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Reverse Fault
What is the name of the phenomenon where soil and rock become liquefied during an earthquake?
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Liquefaction
What is the term for a series of smaller earthquakes that follow a large earthquake?
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Aftershocks
What is the name of the phenomenon where loose, water-saturated soil turns into a liquid-like substance during an earthquake?
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Liquefaction
What is the term for a small earthquake that occurs after a larger earthquake in the same area?
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Aftershock
What is the name of the type of seismic wave that can only travel through solids?
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Secondary waves (S-waves)
Which geological feature is often found at transform boundaries?
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Faults
What is the name of the type of wave that moves particles perpendicular to the direction of wave travel?
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Transverse Wave
What is the term for the force per unit area that acts on a material?
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Stress
What is the term for the initial rupture point of an earthquake?
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Nucleation Zone
What is the term for the sudden collapse of a volcano's summit, resulting in a large crater?
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Caldera
What is the term for the resistance of a material to deformation or rupture?
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Strength
What is the term for the shaking or trembling of the Earth's crust caused by the release of energy from an earthquake?
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Seismic Activity
What is the name of the instrument used to record seismic waves?
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Seismograph
What is the name of the process where tectonic plates collide and one is forced beneath the other?
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Subduction
Which type of seismic wave travels through the Earth's interior and can only be detected by sensitive instruments?
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Primary Wave (P-Wave)
What is the name of the type of fault where the hanging wall and footwall move past each other horizontally?
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Transform boundary
What is the name of the largest tectonic plate on Earth?
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Pacific Plate
Which type of seismic wave arrives at a seismograph first?
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P-Wave
What is the name of the type of seismic wave that causes particles to move back and forth perpendicular to the direction of wave travel?
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Love waves
What is the term for the process by which sediment settles out of a fluid and onto a surface?
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Deposition
Which type of fault occurs when rocks are pulled apart by tension forces?
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Normal Fault