Types of Faults
What type of fault occurs when the hanging wall moves down relative to the footwall?
Normal fault
Which type of stress pulls rocks apart, stretching them?
Tension
Which seismic wave travels the fastest and arrives first at a seismograph station?
P-waves
What instrument is used to record earthquake waves?
Seismograph
What is the main cause of most injuries and deaths during an earthquake?
Collapsing buildings and falling debris
Which type of fault is caused by compressional stress?
Reverse fault
Which type of stress squeezes rocks together, shortening them?
Compression
Which type of seismic wave moves particles up and down or side to side, like ocean waves?
Surface waves
The magnitude of an earthquake measures its:
Total energy released
A giant ocean wave caused by an underwater earthquake is called a:
Tsunami
In which fault do rocks slide past each other horizontally?
Strike-slip fault
Which type of stress causes rocks to slide past each other in opposite directions?
Shearing
Which seismic wave can travel through both solids and liquids?
P-waves
Which scale measures earthquake magnitude based on the size of seismic waves?
Richter Scale
When solid ground turns into a soft, muddy liquid due to shaking
What is liquefaction
A fault where the hanging wall moves up relative to the footwall is called:
Reverse fault
Mountains are most often formed by which type of stress?
Compression
Which seismic wave cannot travel through liquids such as Earth’s outer core?
S-waves
The Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale measures:
The damage and human reaction to an earthquake
Landslides triggered by earthquakes are most likely to occur:
On steep, unstable slopes
Which of the following faults is most common at transform plate boundaries?
Strike-slip fault
Mid-ocean ridges, where the sea floor spreads, are associated with which type of stress?
Tension
Which type of wave causes the most damage during an earthquake?
Surface waves
Which modern scale is most commonly used by scientists today to measure total energy released?
Moment Magnitude Scale
maller earthquakes that occur after a major one
Aftershocks