Earthquakes Review

Which seismic waves are the fastest?

P waves

Which seismic waves are the first to be recorded?

P waves

Which seismic waves are the second to be recorded?

S waves

Which seismic waves can only travel through solids?

S waves

Which seismic waves are the slowest?

L waves

Which seismic waves travel on the surface?

L waves

What is the boundary between the crust and the mantle due to the change of speed of seismic waves?

Moho

What are the areas called where neither S nor P waves can be detected?

Shadow zones

What is the theory that says energy builds up on each side of a fault and the rocks move slowly and then spring back to their original shape?

Elastic rebound theory

What are small tremors that occur after the first release of energy?

aftershocks

What is the area where the slippage first occurs inside the earth?

focus

What is the point on earth’s surface directly above the focus?

epicenter

What are the three classifications of foci?

Shallow, intermediate, and deep

What are the three major earthquake zones?

Pacific Ring of Fire Mid-ocean ridges Eurasian – Mediterranean mt. belt

What is the name of the fault in California where the Pacific plate and North American plate slide past each other?

(technically it’s the N. American plate and the Juan de Fuca plate) San Andreas Fault (technically it’s the N. American plate and the Juan de Fuca plate)

What is the device used to record earthquakes?

Seismograph

How many stations are needed to locate an earthquake?

three

Which scale measures the magnitude or the amount of energy released from an earthquake?

Richter Scale

What are the numbers for the Richter scale?

Arabic Numerals They begin a 1-2 and it is an open-ended scale, based on the seismograph’s reading.

Which scale measures the intensity or amount of damage from an earthquake?

Mercalli

What are the numbers for the Mercalli Scale?

Roman numerals

What can be generated from an earthquake with an epicenter on the ocean floor?

Tsunami