What is the force that holds up the tectonic plates
Buoyant force
What is elasticity?
How much a rock can bend without breaking
What is the measure of the elevation of a certain area?
Topography
Anticline
What is the strike of an earthquake?
The horizontal direction of a fault
What does the Modified Mercalli scale measure?
The intensity of an earthquake
What type of mountains are the Sierra Nevada?
Fault-block mountain
What does the Richter scale measure?
The magnitude of an earthquake
What is a fault?
A crack in a rock where movement has occurred
What are landslides?
A movement of rock formed from loose rock being released by seismic waves
What are tectonic mountains?
Mountains formed by the moving of tectonic plates
What are moraines.
Long hills of glacial till
What five things does the intensity of an earthquake depend on?
Richter magnitude
Depth of focus
Distance between the epicenter and populated areas
Quality of buildings
Earthquake duration
What is the difference between a seismogram and seismograph?
Seismogram - a recording of an earthquake's waves
Seismographs - detect the changing earthquake waves
What were pinnacles most likely formed?
What is a tsunami?
An ocean wave caused by an earthquake
What are the four steps of faults causing an earthquake?
Tectonic plates have forces acting on different directions
The rock will slowly bend
Eventually, the rocks will violently break
Earthquake waves will result
Define P waves, S waves, and surface waves
P waves - fastest body waves that travel through solid and liquid
S waves - second fastest waves that are stronger but slower than P waves, do NOT travel through the earth's surface
Surface waves - travel on the earth's surface, most destructive waves
What is the difference between actual height and elevation?
Actual height - the difference in height from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the mountain
Elevation - how high a point is above sea level
At least how many stations are needed to pinpoint an earthquake's epicenter?
Three