Geoscience in Cinema - Homework #3 (1/21/24)

In Wikipedia, look up "1906 San Francisco earthquake" and answer this question: Which of the following is true about the 1906 earthquake?

- Potentially more than 3,000 people died, the most ever due to an earthquake in the U.S.

- Devasting fires broke out after the earthquake that were even more destructive.

- Areas situated in sediment-filled valleys sustained stronger shaking than nearby bedrock sites.

In Wikipedia, look up "Seismic site effects" and answer this question: Which of the following will strongly amplify surface ground motion during an earthquake?

Sediments

In Wikipedia, look up "Modified Mercalli intensity scale" and answer this question: What do Mercalli intensities measures (don't worry about difference to modified intensities)?

The effects of an earthquake at a particular location.

In Wikipedia, look up "Modified Mercalli intensity scale", read the intro then scroll down to the actual scale and answer this question: At what scale level will damage be great in substantial buildings, with partial collapse?

IX Violent

In Wikipedia, look up "Seismic hazard", read the intro then scroll down to the US seismic hazard maps and enlarge the map of peak ground acceleration, and answer this question: This map shows where seismic hazards are considered high (red/yellow regions). Which regions contain high seismic hazards?

- West coast

- Midwest

- Southeast coast

In Wikipedia, look up "New Madrid Seismic Zone" and answer this question: Which of the following statements is not true?

West Lafayette, Indiana is within a couple of miles to the center of this seismic zone.

In Wikipedia, look up "1976 Tangshan earthquake" and answer this question: Which of the following is not true?

The earthquake was predicted, leading to a major evacuation prior to the quake.

In Wikipedia, look up "2010 Haiti earthquake" and answer this question: Which of the following are true?

- The Haitian government's death toll estimates were far higher than other estimates.

- It had been more than 150 years since the last major (M>7) earthquake in the country.

- An estimated 3 million people were affected by the quake.

In Wikipedia, look up "List of earthquakes", read the intro then scroll down to "Deadliest earthquakes", and answer this question: True or False: Of the top 10 deadliest earthquakes, a majority were smaller than M8.

True

In Wikipedia, look up "Earthquake prediction" and answer this question: Currently, what do most scientist say about earthquake prediction?

They are pessimistic and many think earthquake prediction is inherently impossible.

In Wikipedia, look up "Earthquake prediction", read the intro then scroll down to "Precursors", and answer this question: Which of the following appears to be a reliable earthquake precursor?

None have been found to be reliable for the purposes of earthquake prediction.

In Wikipedia, look up "Foreshock" and answer this question: Why might foreshock detection be useful in predicting earthquakes?

Because they occur prior to a small percentage of major (M>7) earthquakes.

In Wikipedia, look up "2009 L'Aquila earthquake", read the intro then scroll down to "Prosecutions", and answer this question: Why were 6 seismologists thrown in jail?

For not predicting the earthquake.

In Wikipedia, look up "Earthquake forecasting" and answer this question: What is an earthquake forecast?

The probabilistic assessment of earthquake hazards over years or decades.

In Wikipedia, look up "Earthquake preparedness" and answer this question: True or False: Building codes are designed to make buildings earthquake proof in the sense of them suffering zero damage.

False

In Wikipedia, look up "Earthquake warning system" and answer this question: What is an earthquake early warning system?

A system devised for notifying adjoining regions of a substantial earthquake while it is in progress.

In Wikipedia, look up "2008 Sichuan earthquake" and answer this question: During the Sichuan earthquake, also known as the Wenchuan earthquake, which of the following statements is true?

- An unusually large number of school buildings collapsed killing many children.

- It was the largest and deadliest earthquake in China since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake.

- It left about 5 million people homeless.

In Wikipedia, look up "Mechanical resonance" and answer this question: Which of these statements about mechanical resonance (also known as forced resonance) is true?

- Avoiding resonance disasters is a major concern in every building, tower, and bridge construction project.

- Buildings in seismic zones are often constructed to take into account the oscillating frequencies of expected ground motion.

- Mechanical resonance is the tendency of a mechanical system to respond at greater amplitude when the frequency of its oscillations matches the system's natural frequency of vibration.

In Wikipedia, look up "Soil liquefaction" and answer this question: What is liquefaction?

The process by which water-saturated sediments act like a liquid during an earthquake.

In Wikipedia, look up "Seismic base isolation" and answer this question: What is the objective of seismic base isolation?

To decouple a building from the shaking ground during an earthquake.