Earthquakes 1
What and where is the Ring of Fire?
The Ring of Fire is an area around the Pacific Ocean where 70% of the volcanoes are located and 90% of the earthquakes occur. Subduction zones have formed where the Pacific Plate is subducting beneath continental and younger ocean plates.
What causes earthquakes?
Plate movements or fault lines
What is a tsunami?
A series of ocean waves caused by underwater land movement, usually very destructive.
Why can't a tsunami be detected at sea?
There is very little resistance and therefore cannot be observed.
Where is the Eiffel Tower?
Paris, France
Earthquakes occur when ___________ that had built up in the earth's crust is released.
Energy
What is another name for shock waves?
Seismic waves.
Where was the most destructive tsunami?
The Indian Ocean off Indonesia.
What and where is the San Andreas Fault line?
The San Andreas Fault is a place where two tectonic plates touch, the North American and Pacific Plates. It is located in the USA, primarily California.
What is an onomatopoeia?
When a word's pronunciation imitates its sound. eg Boom! Hiss.
What is meant by magnitude in relation to earthquakes?
It's power or destructive force.
On the Richter scale which numbers indicate a major earthquake?
7.0 - 7.9
What was the magnitude of the Indian Ocean earthquake/tsunami?
9.1-9.3
How are most tsunamis generated?
Most tsunamis are generated by undersea earthquakes. The sudden vertical displacement of the ocean floor during an earthquake can displace a large volume of water, creating a series of waves.
What is a docent?
A person who acts as a guide, typically on a voluntary basis, in a museum, art gallery, or zoo.
What is meant by the Richter scale?
The measurement of the strength of the earthquake.
What is the epicentre of a quake?
Epicenter is the location on the surface of the Earth directly above where the earthquake starts.
It is a Japanese word. What does the word tsunami literally mean?
Harbour wave.
How do tsunami warning systems work?
When a significant undersea earthquake is detected, alerts are sent to coastal communities, and sirens are activated to warn residents to move to higher ground. Early warning systems are crucial in saving lives and reducing the damage caused by tsunamis.
Who painted the Mona Lisa?
Leonardo da Vinci
What 3 things does a seismograph measure?
Duration, magnitude and direction.
The point underground at which the sudden movement occurs is called what?
The focus.
Who invented the Richter scale?
The Richter scale was developed in 1935 by American seismologist Charles Richter (1891-1989) as a way of quantifying the magnitude, or strength, of earthquakes. Richter, who was studying earthquakes in California at the time, needed a simple way to precisely express what is qualitatively obvious: some earthquakes are small and others are large.
What was one of the most serious outcomes of the March 2011 tsunami off the coast of Japan?
It initiated a meltdown of the Fukushima Nuclear power plant.
What is a bettong?
Also known as a woylie, they are small Australian native marsupials, also known as rat-kangaroos.