S. 16 Earthquakes Final Test Review

These flashcards cover key concepts related to earthquakes as outlined in the provided lecture notes for the final test preparation.

What causes most earthquakes?

Motion along faults.

Which type of fault involves the hanging wall moving down relative to the footwall?

Normal fault.

What is the process of strain building up and then releasing during an earthquake called?

Elastic rebound.

The point on Earth’s surface directly above the focus is called the:

Epicenter.

Which seismic wave is the fastest?

P-wave.

Which seismic wave cannot travel through fluids?

S-wave.

Surface waves are:

Slowest and most damaging.

What does a seismograph measure?

Motion of Earth relative to a suspended mass.

The Moment Magnitude scale is based on:

Rigidity × area × slip (seismic moment).

A magnitude increase of 1 releases how much more energy?

32×.

Surface rupture typically occurs only for earthquakes larger than:

M6.0.

Soft sediment affects seismic waves by:

Slowing them and increasing amplitude.

Which buildings are most vulnerable to high-frequency shaking?

Short buildings (<10 stories).

Liquefaction occurs when:

Wet fine-grained soils behave like a liquid when shaken.

Tsunamis are generated by:

Vertical displacement of ocean water due to fault slip.

Earthquakes result from:

Motion along faults.

Earthquake locations are determined using:

Triangulation from P–S arrival times.

Larger earthquakes release more energy because:

Rupture patch area increases with magnitude.

Soft sediments amplify shaking because:

Waves slow down and energy builds up.

Earthquake prediction over a few days is:

Not scientifically possible at present.